^iii 





Qass. 



Book 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



OLD HALLOWELL ON THE KENNEBEC 



Ii 



OLD HALLOWELL 

ON THE 

KENNEBEC 



BY 

EMMA HUNTINGTON NASON 

AUTHOR OF "WHITE SAILS," "THE TOWER WITH 

LEGENDS AND LYRICS," "OLD COLONIAL 

HOUSES IN MAINE," ETC. 



Illustrated 



AUGUSTA, MAINE 
1909 






N^ 



Copyright, igog 
By Emma Huntington Nason 



Press of 

Burleigh & FlytU 

Ajigusta, Me. 



©CLA25282S 



TO MY SON 

ARTHUR HUNTINGTON NASON 

THIS STORY 

OF THE HOME OF HIS ANCESTORS 

IS AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED 



PREFACE 

(^I^BtHE purpose of this volume is to tell the story of the old 
/ "i town of Hallowell from the time of its earliest settle- 
^"^ ment to its incorporation as a city in 1852, and to give 
^^^ a picture of the life of the people at that period when 
Hallowell was at the height of its commercial prosperity and 
famous as a social and literary center. The book contains 
biographical sketches of the eminent founders of the town, and 
of the notable men and women who maintained its moral, intel- 
lectual, and social status; and also presents a record of those 
institutions that contributed to the general upbuilding of the 
community. 

It has long been conceded, by recognized authorities, that 
the early annals of Hallowell are of remarkable interest and of 
unusual historic value. Therefore, with the hope that these veri- 
table yet romantic records may appeal to the sons and daughters 
of the Kennebec valley, wherever they may be, and also to the 
general reader who would enjoy for a season the characteristic 
atmosphere of an exceptionally favored old New England town, 
this story, as illumined by the traditions of the fathers, is now 
inscribed upon these pages. 

To those loyal friends of Old Hallowell, to whom I am 
indebted for the use of valuable family papers, manuscript 
letters, copies of rare old portraits, and for most cordial encour- 
agement in the making of the book, appreciative acknowledg- 
ments are here gratefully rendered. To Miss Annie F. Page 
and Miss Sophia B. Oilman, who have placed the resources of 
the Hubbard Free Library and their own invaluable collections 
of local historical matter at my disposal, and who have given me 
their constant personal assistance in my researches, an expres- 
sion of gratitude is here especially due. To all of those lovers 
and friends of the old town from whom messages of enthusiastic 
interest in my work have frequently been received, I this day 
send out, with the story of Old Hallowell, thanks — and greeting! 

E. H. N. 

Augusta, Maine. 
November 25, 1909. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface vii 

Table of Contents ix 

IvisT OF Illustrations xi 

Hallo WELL, Prelude xiii 

I. Ancient Koussinok i 

II. The First Settlers 15 

III. Men of the Fort and Hook 25 

IV. Every-Day Life and Religious Services of the 

Period 40 

V. The Division of the Town 55 

VI. Sources of Hallowell's Prosperity .... 67 

VII. The Vaughan Family 73 

VIII. John Merrick, Esq. 99 

IX. Representative Families 107 

X. The Lawyers of Hallowell 136 

XI. Later Representative Families 160 

XII. The Old South Church 193 

XIII. The Hallowell Academy and Other Schools . . 208 

XIV. The Libraries of Hallowell 229 

XV. Old Books and Newspapers 242 

XVI. The Harmonic Society, the Theater, and the 

Lyceum 259 

XVII. Social Life of Old Hallowell 265 

XVIII. Romantic, Quaint, and Interesting Characters . 290 

XIX. Hallowell's " Chief Citizens " 307 

XX. Shipping and Ship-Masters of Hallowell . . 319 

XXI. The Public Interests of Hallowell •••331 

Index 347 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 



Hai,i,owei.i, on the Kennebec * . . . Frontispiece 

View From Powder House Hiix 15 

The O1.D Powder House * 18 

Oi<D Fort Western 25 

Judge Daniei, Cony 28 

Mrs. Susanna Curtis Cony 30 

The Vaughan Brook 36 

Ancient Boundary L/INE 55 

The Pines on Ferry Hill 67 

Samuel Vaughan, Esq., and Family 73 

Mrs. Sarah Hallowell Vaughan 74 

Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Vaughan 78 

Dr. Benjamin Vaughan 80 

Mrs. Sarah Manning Vaughan 82 

Octagon Room in the Vaughan Mansion * 84 

Charles Vaughan, Esq 94 

Mrs. Frances Apthorp Vaughan 96 

The Vaughan Memorial Bridge * 98 

John Merrick, Esq 100 

The Merrick Cottage, North and South View .... 104 

From Drawings in IVater-Color by John Vaughan Merrick 

Henry Goodwin Vaughan, Esq 106 

From Portrait by Charles Hopkinson 

Mrs. Mary Kilton Dummer and Judge Nathaniel Dummer . 108 

Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Page 116 

Residence of Rufus K. Page 118 

Residence OF Preceptor Samuel Moody * 128 

Captain John Agry 130 

Mrs. Elizabeth Reed Agry 132 

Captain George Agry 134 

The Perley House and the Agry House * 138 

Judge Samuel Sumner Wilde 140 

The Grant-Otis Mansion * 150 

Judge Henry Knox Baker, 157- 



xii List of Illustrations — Continued 

Mrs. Sarah Lord Baker 158 

Judge Samuei, K. Oilman . . .160 

Hon. Simon Page 160 

Residence of Samuei, K. Gii^man 162 

Deacon Ebenezer Dole 164 

Old Huntington House * 168 

Miss Mary Thompson Welch, (Mrs. Joseph F. Nasou) . . 170 

Residence OF Joseph Nason, Esq 172 

Residence of Major Thomas M. Andrews 184 

The Dummer Mansion * 186 

Dr. M. C. Richardson 188 

Mrs. Simon Page 190 

The Old South Church 193 

Residence of Rev. Dr. Gillet * 196 

Hallowell Academy 208 

The Hubbard Free Library 229 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Vaughan 236 

General Thomas H. Hubbard 238 

Residence of Samuel W. Huntington, Esq 265 

"Sunset Farm," Residence of Charles Vaughan, Esq. . . 272 

From Drawings in IVater-Color by John Vaughan Merrick 

Miss Anne Warren's Banquet Table 275 

Hon. Reuel Williams 276 

Mrs. Sarah Cony Williams 278 

Octagon Room in Williams Mansion 280 

Governor John Hubbard 307 

Residence OF Governor John Hubbard* 310 

Captain John Hubbard 312 

Governor Joseph R, BoDWELL 315 

Residence of Governor BoDWELL * 316 

Residence of Captain Charles Wells * 328 

Bridge on the Vaughan Stream * 334 

The Vaughan Mansion* 342 

* From photograph by F. Ernest Peacock. 



HAIvIvOWEIvL 

Prelude 

The river with its ruffled blue 
Divides the mighty hills in two, 

Caresses many a dell. 
Under a height that tosses back 
The summer thunder from its track, 
Lie home and Hallowell. 

The sunrise sends its couriers down 
To wake the quaint, embowered town; 

A misty azure spell 
At early even creeps to bridge 
The depth beneath each rocky ridge 

That watches Hallowell. 

The world may smile — the world whose pain 
Is measured by its golden gain ; 

Our pine-sweet breezes swell 
With something it hath never heard, 
A benediction fills the word, 

The name of Hallowell. 

Content to miss the flash and whirl 
We watch the breath of hearth-fires curl 

With every mellow bell. 
We note how fair the hours be, 
Life hath a touch of Arcadie 

In dreamy Hallowell. 

Hope guards her dearest treasures here 
The gate of heaven is always near 

Where faith and duty dwell. 
We learn to toil and look above. 
To spell God's truth of light and love 

In hill-bound Hallowell. 

— Ellen Hamlin Butler 



ANCIENT KOUSSINOK 

N'kanayoof—Oi the Olden Time! 

^^afjtH'E wise old Abenaki story-teller struck the keynote 
/'i I of universal human interest when he began his 
^FL ancestral records with this expression : N'kanayoo! 
^^ — Of the Olden Time ! 

These words are fraught with significance. They appeal 
to the human heart in all lands and in all ages of the world. 
The love of the past and a desire to preserve the records of the 
past are inherent in the human race. To transfer the story 
of yesterday to some far-off to-morrow has ever been the mis- 
sion of poet and historian ; and to begin at the beginning has 
an irresistible charm. Therefore, in recalling the history of 
Old Hallowell, our minds and hearts are lured back to the 
"Olden Time" of the Abenaki story-teller; and, with him, we 
may very fitly say : N'kanayoo I for our record must begin 
with the days when the Abenaki Indian dwelt upon the banks 
of the Kennebec. 

The river shores, where Hallowell now stands, were once 
the ancestral hunting grounds of the "gentle Abenakis." 
According to their traditions, these Men of the Dawn held 
their patent directly from the hand of the Creator. The land 
had been theirs from the beginning of the world ; and it is now 
pleasant to believe that, from time immemorial, hearth-fires have 
burned upon our shores ; that here old songs have been sung, 
brave deeds recounted, and ancient traditions retold for 
innumerable generations. 

The banks of Bombahook were once a favorite camping- 
ground of the Abenaki Indians ; the picturesque plateau, at the 
southern end of the "Plains," was the place of many lodges; 
and on the eastern shore of the river, in the northern portion 
of the territory originally included in the town of Hallowell, 



2 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

there was a large and permanent Abenaki village. With the 
early records of these Indian domains, the story of the first 
settlement of Old Hallowell is inextricably interwoven ; and if 
we would understand the history of our native town, we must 
go back to the days when the men of Plymouth dwelt here side 
by side with the Indians of Koussinok. 

As we endeavor to recall this half-forgotten period, its 
events unfold themselves before our eyes like the successive 
scenes of a dimly-lighted, old-time panorama. We see first a 
little white-sailed vessel appearing off the coast of Maine. It 
is the shallop of the Pilgrim Fathers, built at Plymouth, and 
commanded by Edward Winslow, who, with six of "ye old 
standards," comes to trade with the Indians on the banks of 
the Kennebec. These unskilled mariners boldly dare the 
dangers of Seguin, cross the rippling bosom of Merrymeeting 
Bay, sail on, past the island home of the old chief Kennebis, 
past the Point of Bombahook, and follow the curving river 
shore until they see the smoke of the Abenaki camp-fires, and 
reach the Indian village. 

It was in the autumn of the year 1625 that these brave 
men of Plymouth set sail, with their shallop-load of corn, for this 
hitherto unknown haven on the Kennebec. Their little craft, 
built by the house carpenter of Plymouth, was not well fitted for 
such a voyage. '* They had laid a litle deck over her mid- 
ships," writes Governor Bradford, "to keepe y*^ corne drie, but 
y^ men were faine to stand it out all weathers without shelter, 
and y* time of y^ year begins to growe tempestius. But God 
preserved them and gave them good success, for they brought 
home 700 lb. of beaver besids some other furrs, having litle or 
nothing els but this corne which themselves had raised out of 
y^ earth." ' 

In 1627, the Plymouth merchants, having procured a 
patent for the Kennebec, " erected a house up above in y^ river 
in y'^ most convenientest place for trade, as they conceived, and 
furnished the same with comodities for y* end, both winter & 
somer, not only with corne, but also with such other commodities 

' Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation, p. 247. 



A^icicnt Konssiiiok 3 

as y^ fishermen had traded with them, as coats, shirts, ruggs, & 
blankets, biskett, pease, prunes, &c.; and what they could 
not have out of England, they bought of the fishing ships, 
and so carried on their bussines as well as they could." ' 

This story of the Pilgrim Fathers is one of the most 
interesting and important in the early history of New England, 
and yet it has lapsed into an almost legendary form, and to-day 
many of the dwellers in the Kennebec valley are entirely 
unaware that the famous men of Plymouth were ever sojourners 
upon our shores. Nevertheless, it is true that more than a 
hundred years before the erection of Fort Western there was 
a flourishing trading-post in this locality, and here for nearly 
forty years the Plymouth merchants lived side by side with the 
Abenaki Indians and carried on a profitable trade with the 
aboriginal inhabitants of Maine. 

Considering the dependence of the Pilgrim Fathers upon 
the resources of Maine, and the fact that they were saved 
from financial ruin and enabled to pay their debt to the London 
Company only by the profits of the valuable shipments of furs 
from the Kennebec, it is surprising to learn how little the 
historians of Plymouth have to say of the trading-post at 
Koussinok and of the life and adventures of the men who 
occupied it for so many years. The writings of Edward 
Winslow, of Governor Bradford, and of other contemporary 
authors contain but the briefest references to this subject. It 
has even been intimated that the Pilgrim merchants were 
purposely reticent in regard to their trading-post since they 
did not wish to open to other colonists this very profitable 
source of their own supplies. For this reason, the materials 
for the story of the first English settlers within the borders of 
Old Hallowell are very meager ; and it is only in the records of 
the early French voyagers, in the Relations of the Jesuits, and 
in the works of other French authorities, that I have been able 
to find any satisfactory original data for the story of ancient 
Koussinok, and for the intercourse of the English with the 
Indians of this village. 

' Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation, p. 281. 



4 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

The earliest mention that I find of the name Koussinok is 
in the writings of the French priest, Father Gabriel Druillettes, 
who, in 1652, states that the Abenakis have a village and 
burying-ground where they meet every spring and fall "in 
sight of the English who live at Koussinok." ■ This, then, is 
the beautiful old Indian word that was afterwards corrupted 
into "Cushnoc." 

In regard to the meaning of the name Koussinok, authori- 
ties widely differ. One writer, learned in Indian nomenclature, 
states that it is a compound word meaning the place of the 
sacred rites beside the rippHng waters. This signification 
seems very appropriate, for Koussinok was the place of the 
sacred rites of the tribe, and was located near the rapids in the 
river. But Maurault, in his Histoire des Abenakis, states that 
the word Koussinok is equivalent to the French phrase, 11 y en 
a beaticonp ; and that the village was called Koussinok because 
the English had greatly increased in numbers at this place. 

Who all of these English people were that dwelt for a 
whole generation upon our shores can not now be ascertained. 
No full and consecutive history of the Plymouth settlement on 
the Kennebec has ever been written ; but we know that some 
of the ablest and best men in the colony were sent to take 
charge of the trading-post, and this fact shows the importance 
with which the place was at this time regarded. 

One of the early agents in command of the trading-houses 
was John Rowland, who, with his "military turn" and adven- 
turous spirit, was well fitted for the administration of the 
business of the colony in this important location. He was, 
moreover, one of the company responsible for the public debt 
and therefore especially interested in the success of the 
enterprise on the Kennebec. 

In 1634, while Rowland was in command at Koussinok, 
John Alden came from Plymouth to bring supplies for the 
spring traffic with the Indians ; and Myles Standish, although 
never in command, came frequently in the Plymouth shallop 
on its business trips to the Kennebec. Governor Bradford, 

' Relations of the Jesuits, Vol. 37, p. 254. 



Ancient Koussinok 5 

who was desirous of strengthening the Plymouth title to this 
territory, is also said to have come in his official capacity to 
treat with the Indians at this period. 

One of Rowland's successors at the trading-post was 
Captain Thomas Willett, a young man who had been a member 
of the congregation at Leyden and who had followed the 
Pilgrims to Plymouth in 1632. He was a very able and efficient 
agent, and by his just and tactful dealings with the Indians, he 
won their confidence and faithful service. Captain Willett 
afterwards established an extensive trade with the Manhattan 
Dutch; and later in life he was honored with the office of 
Governor of New York. 

Another notable commander of the Koussinok trading- 
post was John Winslow, a brother of Governor Edward 
Winslow. John Winslow came over in the Foi'tiine, and was 
one of the most efficient and highly esteemed men of the 
colony. He was in command on the Kennebec from 1647 to 
1652, and was for many years identified with the Indian trade, 
through which he became one of the wealthiest men of 
Plymouth. 

In the year 1654, we find Captain Southworth occupying 
the post as agent of the Plymouth Company. Southworth was 
the son of Alice Southworth, the second wife of Governor 
Bradford. " He was a man eminent for the soundness of his 
mind and the purity of his heart." He spent three years in 
this remote region and cheerfully bore the privations and 
discomforts of the wilderness for the good of the colony and 
the maintenance of the traffic with the Indians. 

And Governor Thomas Prence — that dignified, stately 
personage who had a countenance full of majesty and who is 
said to have been a terror to evil-doers — he also came to the 
Kennebec in 1654 and established some very wholesome laws 
for the conduct of the settlers and their intercourse with the 
native denizens of the forest. 

In the year 1648, Natahanada, a sagamore of the Kennebec, 
conveyed a large tract of land to William Bradford, Edward 
Winslow, Thomas Prence, Thomas Willett, and William 



6 Old Hallozvell on the Ken7iebec 

Paddy ; and a copy of the deed that was signed by Natahanada 
may still be seen in the Register's Office of Lincoln County. 
It is interesting to be assured that the Indian chieftain 
received, in payment for this valuable tract of land, two hogs- 
heads of provisions, one of bread, one of pease, two cloth coats, 
two gallons of wine, and a bottle of strong waters. 

A hundred years later, the Indians had grown wiser and 
refused to acknowledge the claims of the English either by 
deed or by right of possession. In 1725, the Abenaki chieftains 
declared to the Enghsh : "We were in possession before you, 
for we have held the land from time immemorial. The lands 
we possess were given to us by the Great Master of Life. We 
acknowledge only from him." Again in 1744, when Governor 
Shirley exhibited the deed signed by the Indians as a proof 
of his claim to the territory, the aged chieftain, Ongewasgane, 
replied, " I am an old man, yet I never heard my ancestors say 
that these lands were sold." ' 

It is now well understood that by thus deeding their lands, 
these Indians had no idea of any legal transference of their 
territory, but were merely granting to the white men the 
right to hunt and fish in common with themselves. 

These occasional glimpses into the life and character of the 
Abenaki Indian stimulate our desire to know more of this 
remarkable tribe that the Plymouth men found in possession of 
the valley of the Kennebec ; and a study of the customs and 
traditions of this ancient people reveals much of interest and of 
ethnological value. At the time when the Plymouth merchants 
were stationed in this locality, there was at Koussinok a large 
Indian village of five hundred inhabitants, including the women 
and the children. This primitive people had a wonderful and 
musical language. They had a system of writing and of com- 
munication with other and distant tribes. They possessed an 
inherited store of legends and folk-tales that were truly 
remarkable. They lived by hunting, fishing, and tilling the 
soil. They were peaceful, hospitable, and generous ; and it is 
conceded by all authorities that " the sentiments of the 

• Abbott's Nislory of Maine, p. 352. 



Ancient Kotissinok 7 

Abenakis and their principles of justice had no parallel among 
other tribes." 

These Indians, according to their own traditions and the 
common consent of the tribes around them, were an aboriginal 
people. They claimed that they were the first and only perfect 
creation of the Great Spirit, that after them, the Indian was of 
an inferior quality. They were destined from the primal order 
of the universe to be nature's aristocracy ; and, in comparing 
them with other Indians, this claim seems to have been very 
well founded. 

One example of magnanimity and nobility of character was 
furnished by the Kennebec chieftain Assiminasqua. On 
several occasions when the Kennebec Indians had sent messen- 
gers to treat with the English on the coast, the latter had 
taken them prisoners and deprived them of their arms; but 
when the English came to make a treaty at Ticonic, and might 
easily have been captured by the Indians, Assiminasqua 
scorned to do so treacherous a deed. "It is not our custom," 
he said, "when messengers come to treat of peace, to seize 
upon their persons and make them prisoners. Keep your 
arms ! You are at liberty ! With us it is a point of honor." ' 

An illustration of the loyalty of these Indians among 
themselves may be found in the very interesting custom of 
choosing the Nidoba. Every young brave, on arriving at the 
age when he began to hunt and fish for himself, chose a friend 
of his own age whom he called his " Nidoba," — a name which 
signified a comrade faithful until death. These two young 
braves united themselves by a mutual bond to dare all dangers 
in order to assist each other as long as they both should live. 
Thus every Abenaki man had at least one true friend ever 
ready to give his life for him ; and these two faithful comrades 
believed that after death they would be reunited in the Happy 
Hunting Grounds.^ 

The native characteristics of the Kennebec Indians were 
most apparent at the great councils which were held at 

' Abbott's History of Maine, p. 185. 

2 Maurault's Histoire des Abenakis, p. 16. 



8 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

Koussinok twice a year, — one in the autumn before going on 
the great hunt to the " Lake of the Moose," and the other in 
the spring when the braves returned laden with their trophies. 
Then the council fires were lighted around the great stone 
hearths, and here were performed all the sacred rites and 
ceremonies of the tribe. 

At these celebrations there was dancing and feasting ; 
and the young men, who were enthusiastic athletes, indulged 
in spirited contests of ball-playing, wrestling, running, and 
leaping. 

I recall one old Indian story of a running match in which 
the contestants were required to give their names on entering 
the lists. The first runner announced that he was "Northern 
Lights." The second said that he was " Chain Lightning." 
It is needless to add that " Chain Lightning" won the race. 

The children also had many pretty games which had been 
played by their ancestors for many generations. One of these 
games consisted of hiding a large ring in the sand and attempt- 
ing to find it and draw it out on the end of a long pointed 
stick. Another game which the Indian girls played is very 
interesting because it so closely resembles the ancient English 
game of "Old Witch," sometimes known as "Hawk and 
Chickens." And curiously enough, this Indian game, like the 
old English play, was preceded by a counting-out jingle; only 
instead of saying", " Eny, meny, mony, mi," as the children of 
Old Hallowell used to do, the little Abenaki girls said, " Hony, 
keebe, laweis, agles, huntip ! " and whoever was left, after all 
the rest were counted out, had to be the " old Swamp Woman." 

The Abenaki women were comely and attractive in appear- 
ance. Their feminine taste found expression in a great variety 
of ornaments including rings, necklaces, and bracelets made of 
shells and wrought with great skill. Sometimes the Abenaki 
bride made for her lover chieftain a belt with a fringe of 
wampum a foot in depth and containing many thousands of 
pieces. The Abenaki women also made many tasteful house- 
hold articles out of plaited rushes and birch bark. They had 
developed a rude art of pottery. They understood the secrets 



Ancient Koussinok g 

of coloring ; and artistic rugs and portieres were not unknown 
to the primitive women of the Kennebec. But while indulging 
in these accomplishments, the Abenaki women were also 
expected to plant and hoe the corn, to dress the skins of the 
hunter's trophies, and to do all the menial work of the settle- 
ment. They were, however, always treated with respect by 
the Abenaki men. 

Among the chief characteristics recorded of the Abenaki 
men and women were their intense affection for their children, 
their veneration for their ancestors, and their love for their 
native woods and waters. Every boy born to the Abenaki 
mother was taught the origin and traditions of his race, and 
was ready to die for the rights inherited from his fathers. 
These traditions were constantly repeated around the camp- 
fires and instilled into the minds of the children by the songs 
of the Indian mothers. 

It is difficult for us now to invest this ancient people with 
the ingenuous characteristics and the poetic imagination which 
their records and folk-lore prove that they once possessed ; 
and I cannot better describe the thought and feeling of 
the Indian mother and her belief in the birthright and the 
future of her baby chieftain than by a few verses entitled 

AN ABENAKI LULLABY 

Sleep in thy birchen cradle, sleep ! 

For the planting time is here ; 
The little gray mice through the stubble creep ; 
And the leaves that down through the branches peep 

Are as big as the mouse's ear. 
Sleep, where the pine its shadow throws, 
And the Koonabecki flows and flows. 

Sleep, sleep, for the crow is near ! 

'Twas he who brought the grain 
From the far southwest, o'er the valleys drear. 
And the women must watch and work in fear, 

Lest he snatch it back again. 
Watch and work while the seedlet grows, 
And the Koonabecki flows and flows. 



10 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

Hush ! hush ! for the gray wolf cries ! — 

A taighty hunter soon, 
Thou shalt chase the deer with the starry eyes, 
And follow the stream where the salmon rise, 

In a boat that is like the moon. 
Soft like the curved white moon it goes. 
Where the Koonabecki flows and flows. 

Sleep, little chief of a chieftain born ! 

Old as the sun thy sires ; 
They sprang to life at the world's first morn ; 
Their torches, lit at the ruddy dawn, 

Kindled the council fires. 
To burn as long as the morning glows, 
While the Koonabecki flows and flows. 

Wake, wake, little chieftain, wake ! 

Thine are the eastern lands; 
For thee did the good Great Spirit make 
Forest, and hill, and stream, and lake, 

And the river's shining strands. 
Thine they are while the east wind blows. 
And the Long- Land-Water flows and flows. 

These ingenuous and tractable Indians of the Kennebec were 
converted to Christianity under the ministrations of the Jesuit 
priest, Father Gabriel Druillettes, who here founded the 
Mission of the Assumption in 1648. 

Father Druillettes was an educated and cultured French- 
man who had left a home of luxury in Europe to spend a life of 
suffering and self-denial in the wilderness of the New World. 
He became the warm friend of John Winslow and was often 
entertained at the board of the Plymouth merchant at the 
trading-post. Father Druillettes also visited the colonies at 
Boston and Plymouth where, notwithstanding the death-law 
against the Jesuits, he was courteously received as the 
accredited envoy of the French government at Canada. 

It was by the Indians' own request that Father Druillettes 
came as a missionary to Koussinok. He was loved and 
reverenced by these children of the forest. They begged him 
never to leave them. They built for him a pretty chapel. 



Ancient Koiissinok ii 

They gave him their best canoe, but would not permit him to 
paddle. "Pray for us and we will row for you," they said. 
When Father Druillettes proposed to them as a condition of 
baptism that they should give up their intoxicating drinks which 
they had received from the English, that they should destroy 
their medicine bags and other objects of sorcery, and strive to 
live in peace with all the other tribes, they readily consented to 
do so. Father Druillettes thus acquired a great influence over 
his Indian wards. 

Such were the peaceful, hospitable, and interesting people 
whom the early voyagers called the "gentle Abenakis." Here 
the men of Plymouth found them living their simple, primitive 
lives, and believing in the future destiny of their race without a 
shadow of the fate that was so soon to befall them. But all 
these things apparently made no impression on the minds of 
our revered Pilgrim Fathers. They came to these newly 
discovered shores where the air was scintillant with local color 
and where the wigwams were just overflowing with material 
available for the folk-lore student, and yet they have left us no 
record of it whatever. 

Happily we now know from the fragments of Abenaki 
folk-lore that have been preserved to us by the last remnants 
of the ancient tribes, what a wealth of legend and tradition 
these Indians once possessed ; and if these scanty fragments of 
song and story are so wonderful, we can imagine what the 
folk-lore of these first dwellers on our shores must have been 
in the palmy days of their tribal existence when every genera- 
tion had its poet and story-teller and the Men of the Dawn 
retold all that their sires had taught them from the beginning 
of the world. 

The ancestral hunting grounds of the Abenakis on the 
shores of the Kennebec inevitably fell into the possession of 
the Plymouth company. This company based its legal claim 
to the territory on the patent granted by the Plymouth Council 
of England to the Plymouth Colony in 1629. This patent 
included a strip of land fifteen miles in width on each side of 
the Kennebec extending from a line south of Swan Island to a 



12 Old Hallow ell on the Kefznebec 

line a league above the Wesserunsett river, with the exclusive 
rights of trade within these limits, and with an open passage- 
way to the sea. For nearly forty years the Plymouth Colony 
maintained its trading-post on the Kennebec; but when the 
business declined and profits no longer flowed into their treas- 
ury, they sold the patent, for four hundred pounds, to John 
Winslow, Thomas Brattle, Atipas Boies, and Edward Tyng. 
This transfer of the patent was made in 1661 ; and a few 
years later the trading-post was abandoned by its owners. 

This, it must be remembered, was some years before the 
outbreak of King Philip's war of 1675, in which the Kennebec 
Indians were the last to become involved. Then followed the 
long century of cruel and devastating warfare ; and at its close, 
the few Indians that remained of the once flourishing tribe on 
the Kennebec migrated by way of the old Chaudiere trail 
to Canada where they joined the St. Francis tribe of Indians. 

The Plymouth trading-post, long forgotten, fell into decay. 
The picturesque Abenaki village and the little chapel of the 
Assumption soon disappeared from the shore of the Kennebec ; 
and a luxuriant forest growth obliterated all traces of ancient 
Koussinok. 

Nevertheless, the men of Plymouth had builded more 
wisely and laid their foundations within our borders more 
deeply than they ever knew. They opened the forest to civili- 
zation. They established their title to the Kennebec patent and 
bequeathed their rights to their successors. The land lay 
dormant for almost a hundred years ; but the seed of a city had 
been planted and was destined to spring up and bring forth 
fruit after many days. The descendants of the men who pur- 
chased the property in 1661 did not forget their valuable 
inheritance; and, on the 21st of September, 1749, the heirs of 
the Kennebec proprietors met to devise means of opening the 
land to settlers. An organization was formed under the name 
of the Kennebec or Plymouth Company ; and from these 
Kennebec proprietors the settlers of Old Hallowell received the 
title to their estates. Their rights inalienable have come down 
to the present day. 



Ancient Koussinok 13 

The Pilgrim Fathers may thus be regarded as the pioneer 
openers of this portion of the Kennebec valley ; and the people 
of Old Hallowell, in tracing the origin of their ancestral homes, 
must go back, through the mists of the past, to the romantic 
yet veritable records of ancient Koussinok. 

The original name of this early settlement should always 
be preserved, for the word is replete with historic associations 
and alive with local light and color. It brings before our 
minds a series of pictures, in which the elements of adventure, 
hardship, bravery, valor, and romance are mingled. We see the 
hospitable Abenaki lodges, where a mat for the stranger is 
always laid. We see the smouldering fires, and the vaguely 
flitting forms of women and little children. Somewhat apart 
from the village, in its consecrated space, stands the chapel 
of the Assumption, with its walls of white birch bark, and 
its altar lighted by tall candles made from the wax of the bay- 
berries gathered on the coast. Great pine knots blaze on the 
round stone hearths where the chieftains meet in council; and 
in the fitful glare of the firelight sits the tribal story-teller re- 
peating the traditions of long ago when the Abenaki men 
lived in "the early red morning before the sunrise." Perchance 
his story is a poetic nature-myth of the wooing of the summer, 
or an amusing tale of the tricksy mischief-maker who ran about 
among the wigwams stirring up all sorts of trouble; or the 
pretty bit of folk-lore telling of the little "Burnt-Faced Girl," 
who, like a veritable Cinderella, crept out from the ashes of her 
chimney-corner to become the bride of the tallest, handsomest 
young chieftain in the village; or, most wonderful of all, the 
legend of the terrible monster, whose "heart of ice " was melted 
by a woman's tender touch, and whose ferocious nature was trans- 
formed by the ministrations of human sympathy, — a legend 
which seems to indicate that even these "Men of the Dawn" 
had some conception of the old, continual strife between good 
and evil in the human soul. 

Near by, upon the river-shore, stand the log-cabins of the 
Pilgrim trading-post, rude, but commodious and substantial. 
A great fire roars in the huge stone chimney-place. The walls 



14 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

are hung with scarlet blankets, shining trinkets, and the sharp- 
bladed knives coveted by the Indian men and boys; and the 
great bins are laden with supplies for traffic with the Indian 
hunters. Here, to and fro, with stately tread, move the 
Plymouth merchants, insistent, stern, and realistic. 

Koussinok! The word may be, at times, picturesque, 
severe, unreal, vivid, pathetic, or grimly tragic, but it is 
always suggestively historic; and, to-day, although the ancient 
trading-post and the Abenaki village have disappeared, al- 
though Pilgrim Fathers come no more, and only the wraiths 
of Indian chieftains, in the ghosts of white canoes, glide up and 
down the river, their story is still recalled by this old Abenaki 
name; and, with the name, the memories of ancient Koussinok 
will long abide upon the borders of the Kennebec. 



II 

THE FIRST SETTLERS 

"The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places." — Psalms xvi : 6. 

^^■rHERE is no more beautiful view on the shores of the 
/"i Kennebec river than that from the top of Powder 
^rL House hill in Hallowell. Standing where its gray 
^^^ granite ledges creep out amidst the grasses which are 
fringed, in early summer, with tilting scarlet columbine, or, 
later in the season, with graceful tufts of golden-rod, one looks 
upon a picture of unusual charm and beauty. To the north, 
like a giant sentinel, rises the bold wooded crest of Howard 
hill. To the south lies the Cascade pond, glistening in the 
sunlight, and sending its waters eastward, over the cascades 
and rapids of the Vaughan stream, to meet the blue waves of 
the Kennebec. Before us rise the church spires amidst tall 
elms and maples ; and, below, at the feet of the ancient town, 
the river — the " Long-Land-Water " — as the Indians fittingly 
named it, flows majestically on past its old moss-grown wharves 
and grassy islands, and then sweeps around in a picturesque 
curve and follows its course to the sea. 

Close behind us, founded on the immovable rocks, is that 
time-honored landmark, the old brick powder house, with its 
one mysterious door barred with iron and carved with the 
monograms, initials, and cabalistic signs that register the 
visitors of a century. " Over the river," as we always said in 
our childhood, the banks of Chelsea Heights rise steeply from 
the water's edge. Away at the north, the chimneys and turrets 
of the gray stone hospital emerge above the trees suggestive of 
some old English castle ; and thence the undulating hills sweep 
on until lost in the mists of the horizon. 

Every son and daughter of Hallowell knows this picture of 
the "fair olden city on the river's shore." We see it in our 



1 6 Old Halloxvell on the Kennebec 

dreams, and with closed eyelids in our waking hours ; and 
to-day, as we turn our thoughts backward to the founding of 
Hallowell a century and a half ago, it is difficult to shut out 
the familiar scene and recall the time when these shores of the 
Kennebec were an unbroken forest. 

Even at this early period, however, the place must have 
seemed to the " first comers " an ideal location for a town ; and 
its natural advantages were at once apparent to the early 
settlers on the Kennebec. The shores of the river valley from 
the time of the Pilgrim traders had been known for their 
fertility and natural productiveness ; the waters of the river 
were filled with salmon and other delicious fish ; the water- 
power of the stream that here dashed wildly down through the 
forest was a guarantee for future sawmills and other necessary 
manufactories. Here was the head of the tide and of a broad 
waterway for the ships from the sea. Moreover, at this 
period, the Kennebec was regarded as the natural outlet of 
Canada, and visions of the time when there should be a grand 
inland route of traffic and travel from Montreal and Quebec, 
via the Kennebec, to the sea, had always had a prominent 
part in the plans of the promoters of the river settlements. 
For these reasons, a town well located in this vicinity 
might confidently look forward to a permanent and ever increas- 
ing prosperity. Accordingly, at the close of the French and 
Indian wars, when peace and security became assured, the 
Plymouth proprietors on the Kennebec offered their lands for 
sale on the most liberal terms in order to induce settlers to 
come to this region. 

In the year 1754, Fort Western was erected on the east 
bank of the Kennebec, and garrisoned with twenty men under 
the command of Captain James Howard, Around the fort a 
few small log houses were soon built, but until the year 1762, 
which must ever stand prominent in our local history, no 
dwelling of any sort existed within what are now the limits of 
Hallowell. 

It was on the third of May of this momentous year, 1762, 
that Deacon Pease Clark and his wife, with their son, Peter 



The First Settlers ly 

Clark, and his wife and one little child, landed upon the shore 
of the Kennebec and made a path for themselves to the spot 
where the old cotton factory now stands in Hallowell. No 
hearth fire burned for their welcome ; no door opened at their 
coming; no home stood ready to receive them. And so the 
intrepid Pease Clark and his son Peter took the one rude cart 
which they had brought with them and turned it bottom up- 
wards. Then, with their brave wives and the one little child, 
they crept under it and passed the night. In the morning 
they arose and began the settlement of Hallowell. 

The Clarks had evidently not come to this new country 
entirely ignorant of its location and requirements. According 
to family tradition, Peter Clark, the son of Pease Clark, had 
been a lieutenant in charge of a company of sixty soldiers, 
probably a part of Gen. Shirley's force, sent to guard the 
workmen who built Fort Western in 1754. Peter Clark, being 
pleased with the country and the terms offered to settlers, first 
induced his father to make a prospecting trip to the Kennebec 
valley, after which, they both decided to establish a home here 
for themselves and their families. Pease Clark secured a grant 
of land of one hundred acres, fifty rods wide and one mile long 
extending through what is now the central part of Hallowell. 
His son Peter was granted an adjoining lot at the south. 

The first efforts of the Clarks were devoted to making a 
small clearing and to the erection of a temporary dwelling. 
They then planted corn and rye upon the burnt land. Before 
the snows of the following winter fell, these energetic first 
settlers had hewn timber, procured boards and planks from the 
mill at Cobbossee, and built a comfortable frame house of two 
stories in front and one at the rear, according to the fashion of 
the times; and ever after that, the hospitable doors of the 
Clark house stood open to welcome all newcomers to this 
locality. 

Probably no thought of founding a city, small or great, 
entered into the heads of the Clarks at the time of their coming 
to the Kennebec; but they unconsciously carried out the first 
great fundamental principle of civic history, namely, that the 



1 8 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

establishment of the individual home is the true foundation of 
the commonwealth. Pease Clark now rightfully bears the dis- 
tinction of having been the father of the present city of 
Hallowell; while to James Howard, the first settler at Fort 
Western, is accorded the honor of having been the founder of 
Augusta. 

As we look back to the arrival of Pease Clark and his 
family in this newly-opened country, we can easily imagine the 
intense interest with which they regarded the other newcomers 
who were destined to be their neighbors and fellow-townsmen ; 
and our own interest is warmly excited in these first families of 
old Hallowell. An old chart, made from Winslow's plan of 
Cushnoc in 1761, gives us an excellent idea of the division of 
the territory and the location of the new settlers. Fort 
Western, occupied by Captain James Howard and his family, 
stood two miles above the Clarks' clearing and on the opposite 
side of the river. Three sons of Pease Clark, who soon followed 
their father to the Kennebec, settled above the fort. A fourth 
brother, David Clark, received lot 15 on the west side of the 
river, and a sister, the widow of Asa Fiske of Providence, 
afterwards married to David Hancock, settled on lot 29 on the 
west side. A nearer neighbor of the Clarks at the north was 
Josiah French who kept an inn where is now the intersection 
of Green and Grove streets in Augusta; Ephraim Cowan lived 
on the lot where the State House now stands, and Samuel 
Howard, whose estate included Howard Hill, located a little 
farther to the south; but these lots were not within the 
present limits of Hallowell. Here the land was divided into 
two large sections of 32,000 acres each, extending from the 
river to Cobbossee Great Pond. Lot 23 was owned by Dr. 
Sylvester Gardiner and lot 22, by Benjamin Hallowell. Out 
of these large sections, Pease Clark and Peter Clark had 
received adjoining corner lots bordering on the river. Their 
nearest and only neighbors on the south were Jonathan and 
Job Philbrook two miles below in the present town of Farming- 
dale. With the exception of the Philbrooks, there were no 



The First Settlers 19 

other settlers on the west side of the Kennebec between the 
Clarks and the Cobbossee stream in Gardiner. 

On the east side of the river, near the southern boundary- 
line, was the lot of Samuel Bullen, who was prominent in the 
records as town constable. Lot 7, on what is now the beautiful 
"intervale," was granted to James Cocks (or Cox), of Boston. 

Next, on the chart, we find the lots of Benjamin, Nathan, 
and Daniel Davis. Jonathan Davenport, who is well remembered 
as the first town clerk of Hallowell, settled on the adjoining 
grant. Ezekiel Page and his son Ezekiel Junior received lots 
19 and 21. Moses and Seth Greeley settled on what has in 
recent years been known as the Arsenal lot. Daniel Hilton, a 
young soldier, who enlisted under Captain Howard for service 
at Fort Western, obtained lot 30. He afterwards sold this 
land to Daniel Thomas, who kept the first tavern on the east 
side of the river. Daniel and Edward Savage, two of the most 
enterprising settlers of this period, received grants in 1768 and 
1769; but they had been for some years previous at the Fort. 

One of the most remarkable of these early settlers whose 
name should also be preserved, was John Gilley, an Irishman 
from Cork. He came to this country in 1755 and enlisted as a 
soldier at Fort Western. He was at that time believed to be 
seven or eight years older than Captain James Howard. He 
attained an extraordinary longevity, and at his death, according 
to the estimate of his contemporaries, he was one hundred and 
twenty-four years of age. He enjoyed perfect health and was 
active in mind and body long after his one hundredth birthday. 
Judge Weston states that "the late Dr. Benjamin Vaughan of 
Hallowell, was interested to make an examination of John 
Gilley, from which he became satisfied that his age was not 
overstated." ' Gilley married Dorcas Brown and had a large 
family of children. His name was given to Gilley's Point a 
locality famous as an ancient Indian burying-ground. 

All of the above-mentioned men were located on the 
Kennebec, in 1763, or earlier. They may be regarded as the 
pioneer settlers of Hallowell. They were the brave souls who 

* North's History of Augusta, p. 93. 



20 Old Hallowcll on the Kennebec 

ventured their all in a new and almost unknown country. 
They cleared the forests, planted the cornfields, and literally 
blazed the trail for future generations. 

The every-day life of these pioneer settlers was marked, 
even in the most prosperous families, by hardship, privation, 
and self-sacrifice. The first sawmill within the limits of 
ancient Hallowell, was built by James Howard on the Ellis 
or Riggs brook, at some distance above Fort Western, about 
1769. In 1772, William and Samuel Howard built another mill 
on the same stream; and very soon afterwards, in 1773, a third 
mill was erected by the Savage brothers. The nearest grist- 
mill was at Gardinerstown, on the Cobbossee stream ; and all 
the "grist" was carried on the shoulders of the men over a 
foot-path through the forest, or in boats down the Kennebec. 
Even the inhabitants of Norridgewock and Canaan at this time, 
brought all their corn down the river in canoes to the mill at 
Cobbossee. 

The settlers worked energetically and perseveringly, and 
the land was soon cleared and cultivated to the distance of half 
a mile from the river. In the adjoining forests, the bear still 
ranged, and frequently made destructive raids on the cornfields 
of the farmers. Terrifying rumors, and sometimes a glimpse 
of wolves and the dread lonp-cervier, often alarmed the men as 
well as the women and children. The houses of the period, 
with a few notable exceptions, were built of logs. Huge fire- 
places, scantily supplied with cooking utensils, tested the 
housewife's art, and doubtless at times sorely tried her 
patience. As there were no roads, the social intercourse of the 
people must have been very limited; and our sympathies con- 
stantly revert to the women and children who naturally suffered 
most from their isolated location, and restricted circumstances. 

There was, moreover, for the first decade after the coming 
of Pease Clark and his immediate followers, no opportunity for 
religious service on the Sabbath. The people, consequently, 
lacked both the social and religious uplift that comes from 
laying aside the work-a-day cares of life and going in clean 
attire and goodly company to the house of God. The Clarks 



The First Settlers 2i 

especially must have missed the privileges of the sanctuary, for 
they had been prominent members of the first Congregational 
church at Attleboro, Mass., where they worshiped under the 
ministrations of Rev. Habijah Weld, a pastor "distinguished 
for his usefulness and highly respected both at home and 
abroad." ' That they thus felt the deprivation of the Sabbath 
services is shown by the efforts made by Pease Clark to 
establish religious worship at the new settlement on the 
Kennebec. From the earliest town records, kept by Jonathan 
Davenport, we learn that "at a meeting of the inhabitants of 
Kennebec river, Cobbiseconte and upwards, held at the 
house of Mr. Pease Clark, Feb. ist, 1763, articles of agreement 
were entered into to procure preaching. A committee was 
appointed to raise money for the purpose. The minister to 
divide his time between Cobbiseconte and Fort Western, or 
upwards as is most convenient." 

The committee evidently made an effort to perform the 
duties assigned to them, for in April, 1763, the first public 
religious services were held at Fort Western. They were con- 
ducted by an Episcopal minister, the Rev. Jacob Bailey, from 
Pownalborough. 

With this exception, the efforts of the people to secure 
preaching seem to have been without effect for we learn of no 
more public religious services at Hallowell until 1773. 

But notwithstanding all these disadvantages, the early 
settlers were so inspired with hope, courage, and public spirit 
that, in 1771, they appealed to the legislature for incorpo- 
ration as a town. The act was passed April 26, 1771. The 
new town contained ninety square miles of territory and 
included what is now Hallowell, Augusta, Chelsea, and the 
greater part of Manchester and Farmingdale. At the time of 
its incorporation it was represented by ninety-nine taxable 
polls. The town was named Hallowell in honor of Mr. 
Benjamin Hallowell, a wealthy Boston merchant, and one of 
the Plymouth proprietors. 

A town meeting, called by James Howard, was held at 

' Hutory 0/ Attleboro. 



22 



Old Hallozvell on the Kennebec 



Fort Western, May 22, 1771, of which the following record was 
duly made : 

At a meeting of the Freeholders and other inhabitants of this town 
att Fort western being the first Town Meeting after we ware Incor- 
porated and the town made choice of Deacon peas Clark for the 
Moderator and the following officers to serve the town for the year 
Ensuing Viz. Jonathan Davenport Town Clerk Constable Samuel Bullen 
Selectmen peas Clark James Howard Esq & Jonathan Davenport Town 
Treasurer James Howard Esq — Wardens Samuel Howard & Samuel 
Babcock — tythingmen Daniel Savage peter Hopkins— Deer Reeves 
Jonathan Davenport & moses Greley — Fence Viewers — adam Carson 
Benjamin White— Hog Reeves abijah Read Ebenezer Davenport & 
Emerson Smith— surveyers of High ways Ezekiel page Peter Clark 
peter Hopkins abisha Cowing & Daniel Cobb — surveyors of Boards 
shingles and timber James Cocks Edward Savage — ^James Howard Esq 
is appointed to provide a town Book at the town charge In order to 
keep the town Records. 

The above extract is copied from the Records of Hallowell, 
No. I. p. I. It bears the date of May 22, 1771, and is the 
first entry made after the incorporation of the town. The 
record is inscribed in the hand writing of the first town clerk 
of Hallowell, Mr. Jonathan Davenport. The writer is guiltless 
of punctuation marks, save a few dashes, and is not always 
consistent in his use of capitals; but his handwriting is excel- 
lent, his spelling generally correct, — "peas" Clark being a 
most delectable exception. 

At the annual meeting in 1772, Captain James Cocks was 
chosen moderator and Jonathan Davenport, clerk. The first 
acts of the town provided for roads on each side of the river 
from one end of the town to the other. Thirty-six pounds were 
raised towards clearing the roads, and fifteen pounds for school- 
ing and preaching. The selectmen were instructed to petition 
the Plymouth proprietors for "a ministerial lot, also a lot for a 
meeting-house and a training-field." 

From this first list of town of^cers, we learn who were the 
principal men of the settlement at the time of the incorporation 
of the town in 1771. The names of these brave "first settlers" 
should have an honored place in the history of "Old Hallowell." 
Their story is necessarily fragmentary, and can be gathered 



The First Settlers 23 

only bit by bit from the old records. Nevertheless, they were 
very real characters, keenly alive in their day and generation; 
and could we now call together that first town-meeting of 
1771, we should all, I think, without difficulty, recognize Pease 
Clark, Moderator, Jonathan Davenport, Town Clerk, James 
Howard, Esq., Treasurer, and all the other old-time dignitaries 
who, having endured the perils and hardships of "planting" 
the town in the primeval wilderness, were now rewarded by 
public recognition and the emoluments of office. 

The life-story of Pease Clark remains especially identified 
with that part of Old Hallowell of which he was the first 
settler; and his name will long be remembered and honored in 
the community which he founded. The early records show 
that he was a man of ability, integrity, and public spirit. He 
had a prominent part in public affairs at the time of the 
incorporation of the town, and was zealous in his efforts for the 
public welfare. 

Deacon Pease Clark has been characterized as "a pious 
man, just and honorable in his dealings." He erected his altar 
in the wilderness and there dwelt, with his sons and daughters, 
around him, like a veritable patriarch of old. He lived to see 
his home surrounded by other pleasant dwellings, with fruitful 
gardens and orchards on the sloping hillsides; and his own 
fertile fields became the inheritance of his descendants. He 
was a worthy representative of that sturdy, indomitable class of 
pioneers who, with faith in God and their fellow-men, cleared 
the forests for the dwelling place of succeeding generations. 

Pease Clark died in January, 1782. His life-work was 
fittingly commemorated in a funeral sermon preached by the 
Rev. Mr. Eaton of Winthrop, from the not inappropriate text : 
Instead of the thorn shall come tip the fir-tree: and it shall be to 
the Lord for a name that shall not be cut off. 

In the old burying-ground in Hallowell, there is a large 
table-shaped tomb, covered with moss and lichens, and yellowed 
by the rain and sunshine of more than a hundred years. It 
stands in a picturesque spot overlooking the blue water-course 



24 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

of the Kennebec and the curving river shore shut in and 
sheltered by the point of Bombahook. This was the fair 
domain chosen by Hallowell's first settler for his home; and it 
is fitting that Deacon Pease Clark, whose name is carven on 
this ancient tomb, should here rest beside the Kennebec. 

Another most worthy monument to the memory of Deacon 
Pease Clark is the Hallowell City Building. This noble 
memorial edifice was erected by Mrs. Eliza Clark Lowell, in 
honor of her revered ancestor, and presented to the city of 
Hallowell in 1899. A marble tablet in its entrance hall bears 
this inscription : 

This Building Is The 

Gift Of 

Eliza Clark Lowell 

A Lineal Descendant Of 

Deacon Pease Clark 

The First Settler Of Hallowell 

1762 



Ill 

MEN OF THE FORT AND HOOK 

"They lived, loved, wrought, and died; and left a legacy cherished 
by their children." 

— Reminisce7ices of Hallozvell. 

^^■j^HE town of Hallowell, from the time of its incorporation 
/ J in 1771 to its division in 1797, had the unusual 
!^^^ experience of developing into two distinct villages. 
The settlement at Fort Western dated from 1754; 
that at Bombahook, from the coming of Pease Clark in 
1762. The upper village was commonly called the Fort; 
the lower village, the Hook. The formation of two villages, 
each around its own center, was the natural result of certain 
local advantages, but it was quite unpremeditated by the early 
settlers; and for the first quarter of a century there was 
a warm community of interests between the Hook and Fort. 
All the settlers shared alike in the same hardships, struggles, 
aspirations, and achievements. Their interests were mutual, 
and all measures adopted were for the common good. There- 
fore, in recalling the early history of the town, we must bear in 
mind that the present sister cities of Hallowell and Augusta 
were, for a quarter of a century, one and the same town, bear- 
ing the incorporated name of Hallowell. 

During the years of the Revolutionary war, the progress 
and development of the town was somewhat checked, but, with 
the return of peace, renewed prosperity came to the valley of 
the Kennebec, and a number of new settlers arrived at 
Hallowell who will always be remembered among the early 
promoters and benefactors of the town. Some of the most 
active and influential of these new settlers located around the 
Fort. The upper village therefore first felt the stimulating 
effects of the business energy and capital thus introduced into 
the community ; and, although this volume is to be especially 



26 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

devoted to the story of the famous old town that grew up 
around the Hook, we must now pause to pay a brief tribute 
to the leading men of the Fort, since these men were prominent 
among the makers of Hallowell before the division of the 
Mother-Town, and also influential in the shaping of its destiny 
at the critical period of its existence in 1797. After the 
division of the town, the settlers around Fort Western 
loyally devoted all their energies to the upbuilding of the 
locality which they had chosen for their home ; but before the 
aspirations of Fort and Hook diverged, the men of the Fort 
shared in the common interests of both sections which together 
made the town of Hallowell. 

The individual characters of these men are so strongly im- 
pressed upon our local history that it would be an easy task for 
the artist of to-day to draw their pictures for posterity. Even 
a few brief strokes of the pen will render them recognizable 
upon these pages. 

The name of James Howard, the first and only commander 
of Fort Western, stands at the head of the list of early 
settlers. Captain Howard came with his family to the Fort in 
1754, and was for many years the most influential and promi- 
nent man in the community. 

It is stated, in the History of Augusta {p2igt 86), that James 
Howard was "a highly respectable gentleman who came from 
the north of Ireland," and that he was "of Scotch descent." 
This assertion, has been frequently repeated by local historians, 
but it is evidently incorrect ; for family records and traditions 
supported by historic evidence, which are still in the possession 
of the descendants of James Howard, show that he was of 
English ancestry and descended from a cadet of the house of 
Howard now represented in England by the Duke of Norfolk. 

The statements of the author of the History of Augusta, 
in regard to the origin of James Howard were apparently based 
on a superficial impression derived from the fact that in 1735, 
this "highly respectable gentleman" appears on the Waldo 
Patent at St. George's in company with a Scotch-Irish colony. 
But Eaton, in his Annals of Warren (page 49), states that 



Men of the Fort and Hook 27 

James Howard was one of seven men who "had been previously 
deputed by their associates in Boston and vicinity to select a 
place for settlement;" and it is claimed by an exact and experi- 
enced genealogist of the Howard family, ' that at the time of the 
settlement of the Waldo Patent, James Howard was an English 
gentleman living in Boston, that he went to St. George's 
river in an official capacity, and that, although he settled there 
with the colony of Scotch-Irish, he was not of their nationality. 

James Howard certainly proved himself to be a man of 
parts and well qualified for the position of a leader; and his 
descendants possessed those qualities of mind and character 
that we are accustomed to ascribe to good English birth and 
breeding. In 1770, after Fort Western was no longer used as 
a house of defense, James Howard built for himself, about a 
mile farther north, on Governor Shirley's "cut road," the fine 
and spacious mansion long known as the "Great House." 
Here a most generous hospitality was dispensed. It was said 
that the fire was never allowed to go out on the hearth of the 
Howard house ; and in 1775, Dr. Senter writes of the Howards 
as "an exceeding polite and opulent family." 

The most notable company ever assembled around the 
"opulent" board of the Howards, was entertained by the 
master and mistress of the Great House in September, 1775. 
This was when Colonel Benedict Arnold and his officers made 
a brief sojourn at Fort Western on their fateful journey to 
Quebec. In this remarkable assemblage there were a number 
of men whose names will ever live in the history of our country. 
Two of the most brilliant of these guests have, unfortunately, 
left the saddest records. Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr 
were then brave and patriotic young soldiers with an apparently 
splendid future before them, but died with a shadow upon their 
fame. With them, came Captain Henry Dearborn, afterwards 
famous in the Revolutionary war and in the service of the 
country; also Major Meigs, Captain John Joseph Henry, 
Adjutant Febiger, known in the army as "Old Denmark," 
Major Ward, Lieutenant Colonel Green, Chaplain Spring of 

' Mrs. Martha Gordon Banks of New York. 



28 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Newburyport, and Dr. Senter, the surgeon of the regiment. 
Other officers were entertained at the fort by Colonel William 
Howard. The army of over a thousand men was quartered 
upon the grounds of the fort or stationed in tents upon the 
river shores. This was a momentous day at Fort Western and 
many tales and traditions of the festivities on this occasion 
have come down to us. ' 

The mistress of the Great House, Mrs. Mary Howard, died 
August 22, 1778. On January i, 1781, Captain James Howard 
married Susanna Cony, widow of Lieutenant Samuel Cony. 
James Howard died May 14, 1787. The children of Captain 
James and Mary Howard were: John, b. 1733; Samuel, b. 
1735; Margaret, b. October 25, 1738; William, b. 1740. The 
children of Captain James and Susanna Howard were: Isabella, 
b. 1781; James, b. 1783. 

Captain Samuel Howard, a son of Captain James, was a 
master mariner. He married Sarah Lithgow, a daughter of 
Colonel William Lithgow, who was "famed for her beauty from 
Fort Halifax to Boston town." Colonel William Howard 
married his cousin Martha, daughter of Lieutenant Samuel 
Howard, and resided all his life in the old Fort. These two 
brothers were largely engaged in the lumber business and 
built up a prosperous trade between the Kennebec and Boston. 
They both became wealthy and influential men. 

Colonel Samuel Howard, son of Colonel William, was also 
an eminent man in his day. He married Elizabeth Prince of 
Boston, whose aristocratic but prudent-minded mother was very 
much opposed to the union of her daughter "with one of those 
extravagant Howards." 

The children of Colonel Samuel and Elizabeth Prince 
Howard were Alexander Hamilton Howard, for many years 
cashier of the American Bank in Hallowell ; Elizabeth Prince, 
who married Thomas Little; Mary Gardiner, who married 
Thomas G. Jewett of Gardiner; and Sarah Colburn who 
married Samuel A. Gordon. 

Margaret Howard, daughter of Captain James and Mary 

' Old Colonial Houses in Maine, pp. 7S-S8. 




Judge Danikl Cony 



Men of the Fort and Hook 29 

Howard, married Captain James Patterson. The wedding 
took place Februarys, 1763, in the great living-room of Fort 
Western, and the marriage ceremony was performed by the 
bride's father. Captain Howard, who, in his ofRce of Justice of 
the Peace, was the only person in the settlement qualified to 
officiate at the nuptials of his daughter. 

Old Fort Western, the home of the Howards, is still 
standing on the banks of the Kennebec, in the heart of the city 
of Augusta. Its gray and weather-beaten walls are suggestive 
of much that is romantic and interesting in the lives of the 
early settlers of old Hallowell; and this time-honored land- 
mark should be perpetually preserved as a monument of the 
ancient town, and in memory of its brave and worthy com- 
mander, Captain James Howard. 

At the close of the Revolution, many new settlers were 
attracted to Hallowell by the advantageous location of the 
town; and among the most notable of those who settled at the 
Fort was Deacon Samuel Cony of Shutesbury, Massachusetts. 
Deacon Cony was born in Boston in 17 18, and was therefore 
quite advanced in years when he came, in 1777, to Hallowell, 
He stands on record as "a remarkably mild man" and a 
zealous Christian. He was the founder of a family long promi- 
nent in the annals of Hallowell and Augusta. 

Lieutenant Samuel Cony, the oldest son of Deacon Samuel, 
was one of the most enterprising and successful men of the town. 
He settled on the Seth Greeley lot on the east side of the river 
and soon added to his estate so that at the time of his death, in 
1779, he possesed five hundred acres of land in Hallowell. 
Samuel Cony was an enthusiastic patriot during the Revolu- 
tion; and afterwards served as Lieutenant in the military 
organization at Hallowell. His name was inherited by his son 
General Samuel Cony, and by his grandson. Governor Samuel 
Cony. 

Judge Daniel Cony, the second son of Deacon Samuel, has 
left a notable record. Before coming to Hallowell, he served 
in the Revolutionary army, and was present at the surrender of 
Burgoyne. He married Susanna Curtis and came to Hallowell 



30 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

in 1778. Here he became eminent in his profession and also 
prominent in pohtical affairs. He represented Hallowell in the 
General Court of Massachusetts and was a member of the 
Executive Council. For a number of years he was Judge of the 
Court of Common Pleas and afterwards Judge of Probate for 
Kennebec County. He was also deeply interested in all educa- 
tional movements and was one of the trustees of Hallowell 
Academy, an overseer of Bowdoin College, and the founder 
and endower of Cony Female Academy. 

"Judge Cony," writes North, "was a man of vigorous intel- 
lect, sound judgment, quick perception, and ready resource. 
He was uniformly successful in whatever he resolutely under- 
took, was a strong ally, a safe and vigorous leader, and he 
attained to an influence with his fellow-men which few acquire. 
Decision and firmness were conspicuous traits in his character, 
while he was cool, calculating, sagacious. 

"In his latter days, the Judge had an eccentricity of 
manner which was dignified and harmless, and rather added to 
than detracted from the interest of personal intercourse. We 
recollect when a boy attending a meeting in the South parish 
meeting-house and seeing the Judge walk up the broad aisle 
with slow and measured tread, clad in a tartan plaid coat much 
like the morning dressing-gown of gentlemen of the present 
day. A red cap of fine worsted covered his head, from beneath 
which escaped locks frosted to a snowy whiteness by age. In 
his left hand he held a cane by its center so that its ivory head 
appeared above his shoulder. His form was erect and his 
appearance venerable, as with sedate aspect he assumed his 
seat and became an attentive worshiper." ' 

Judge Cony lived to the venerable age of ninety years and 
died January 21, 1842. 

Another family name long and honorably known in the 
annals of Old Hallowell was that borne by Captain Seth 
Williams, who came to the Fort village in 1779. Captain 
Williams was a descendant of Richard Williams of Taunton, 
and belonged to a branch of the English family that traces its 

' North's History of Augusta, p. 172. 




Mrs. Susanna Curtis Conv 



Men of the Fort and Hook 31 

ancestry back to Howell Williams, Lord of Ribour, who lived 
in the year 1400. 

The dominant qualities of the English Williams family 
descended to their American representatives who settled at 
Fort Western. Seth Williams was a man of forceful character, 
strength of mind, and resolute principles. At the age of 
nineteen he entered the Revolutionary army as a minute-man, 
and was promoted for valorous conduct to the office of lieuten- 
ant of his company. At the close of his term of service, he 
came to Hallowell where he married Zilpha Ingraham, the 
daughter of Jeremiah Ingraham. Captain Williams became an 
influential man in the community and occupied prominent 
offices in the military and civic organizations of the town. He 
was also Representative to the General Court of Massachu- 
setts in 1 81 3. He died, honored and respected, March 18, 
1 81 7, at the age of sixty-one. 

The sons of Seth and Zilpha Williams were all men of 
ability who bore an honorable part in the upbuilding of their 
native town. Hon. Reuel Williams was educated at the 
Hallowell Academy, and admitted to the bar in 1802. He 
married, November 19, 1807, Sarah Lowell Cony, daughter of 
Hon. Daniel Cony. A few years later he purchased for his 
home the large and elegant residence, built by Arthur Lithgow, 
and since known as the Williams mansion. As lawyer, states- 
man, and United States Senator, Mr. Williams had a long and 
honorable career. He was a generous and public-spirited 
citizen, interested in the promotion of large enterprises, and to 
him the material development and permanent prosperity of the 
city of Augusta is in a great measure due. 

Judge Daniel Williams, the fourth son of Seth and Zilpha 
Williams, studied law with his older brother Reuel, and, like 
him, held numerous offices of trust and honor in town and 
state. Hs was one of the promoters of the enterprise for the 
construction of the Kennebec dam, and expended a large por- 
tion of his fortune in this public-spirited work. Judge Williams 
married, for his first wife, Mary Sawtelle of Norridgewock. 



32 Old Hallowcll on the Kennebec 

His second wife was Hannah Bridge, the daughter of Hon. 
James Bridge. 

Eliza Williams, born October 30, 1799, daughter of Seth 
and Zilpha Ingraham Williams, married Eben Fuller, December 
21, 1 821, and founded a home typical of the true New England 
ideals. She was a woman whose beautiful and beneficent life 
will long be remembered. 

Joseph North was the son of Captain John North and was 
born on the St. George's river in 1739. He removed first to 
Gardinerstown, and thence to Fort Western in 1780. He 
married Hannah, daughter of Gershom Flagg, one of the 
wealthy Plymouth proprietors on the Kennebec; and, through 
his wife's inheritance, acquired an extensive lot of land reach- 
ing from Market Square to Bridge Street. There was, in 
1780, no road along the river shore. Joseph North made a 
clearing in the forest and built his house on a site near the 
corner of Oak and Water Streets. Here he laid out an 
extensive garden where he cultivated all varieties of flowers 
that would grow in this locality. 

Joseph North succeeded James Howard as Judge of the 
Court of Common Pleas, and remained on the bench of Lincoln 
and Kennebec counties for twenty-two years. He was the 
grandfather of Hon. James W. North, the author of the His- 
tory of August a. 

Captain Nathan Weston settled first at the Hook in 1778, 
and removed to the Fort in 1781. He engaged actively in 
trade, built a wharf, and sent out a vessel which for many 
years plied back and forth between Hallowell and Boston. 
Like other successful business men of the day, he entered upon 
a political career, held offices of local trust, was representative 
to the General Court in 1799, and member of the State 
Executive Council. His son. Judge Nathan Weston, fitted -for 
college at the old Hallowell Academy, under Preceptor Samuel 
Moody, graduated at Dartmouth, and became one of Augusta's 
most honored sons. Judge Nathan Weston married Paulina B. 
Cony, daughter of Judge Daniel Cony. Their daughter 
Catherine married Frederick A. Fuller and became the mother 



Men of the Fort and Hook 33 

of Judge Melville W. Fuller, the eminent Chief Justice of the 
United States. 

Thomas and Henry Sewall were born in York, Maine. 
They came from one of the oldest and most highly respectable 
families in Massachusetts, and were descended from one Henry 
Sewall of England, '*a linen draper, who acquired great estate, 
and who was more than once chosen Mayor of Coventry." 
It is claimed that the mayor of Coventry traced his descent 
from another even more illustrious Henry Sewall who was 
none other than the Archbishop of York in the year of our 
Lord 1250. 

Thomas Sewall came to the Fort Western settlement in 
Hallowell in 1775. He was a tanner and made the first leather 
that was manufactured in the valley of the Kennebec. He 
married Priscilla Cony, daughter of Deacon Samuel Cony, and 
built for his home the house afterwards owned and occupied by 
Mr. Allen Lambard. 

General Henry Sewall followed his brother to Fort 
Western in 1783, and became a prosperous merchant. He 
served as town clerk in Hallowell and Augusta for thirty-two 
years, as clerk of the District Court of Maine for twenty-nine 
years, and as register of deeds for seventeen years. General 
Sewall had also a most honorable military record. He entered 
the Revolutionary army with the rank of corporal and rose 
to the rank of major. After coming to Hallowell, he was 
commissioned Division Inspector and Major General of the 
militia. 

General Sewall always assumed a prominent part in all 
church affairs and constituted himself the censor of the pulpit. 
He was a critical listener, very decided in his opinions, and 
orthodox to the last degree. His own diary and the church 
records plainly show that he made things extremely lively and 
not always comfortable for the ministerial candidates with 
whose doctrines he disagreed. He finally united with the 
South Parish church at the Hook. He was appointed deacon 
in this church and "continued a member therein — an advocate 
of the doctrine of free and sovereign grace." 



34 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

During many years of his life, General Sewall kept a diary 
from which North draws very freely in his History of Augusta. 
The extracts from this diary throw a very clear light on the life 
and times in Old Hallowell, at the period of which he writes. 
His remarks upon himself and his own doings are no less 
frankly illuminating than those upon his neighbors. General 
Sewall may very fittingly be called the Samuel Pepys of 
Hallowell. 

The Lithgow family, first represented in Hallowell by 
William Lithgow, Jr., came of ancient and honorable ancestry. 
Their genealogy has been traced to "the probable branch in 
Scotland of which Robert the emigrant was a scion;" and 
this Scotch family "shows an uninterrupted line through 
Robert de Bruce (1274-1329) to Egbert (775-836)." ' 

William Lithgow, Jr. was the son of Captain William and 
Sarah Noble Lithgow of Fort Halifax, and grandson of Robert 
Lithgow the emigrant who came to this country with the 
Temple colony in 1719. William Lithgow, Jr. received a good 
education and studied law with James Sullivan of Biddeford. 
On the outbreak of the Revolution he entered the army and 
served with honor during the war. He was present at the 
surrender of Burgoyne; and his portrait may be seen in 
Trumbull's painting of that historical event. 

In 1788, William Lithgow came to the village at the Fort 
and was the first resident lawyer on the Kennebec north of 
Pownalborough. 

Mr. Lithgow was learned and eloquent in his profession 
He was also remarkable for his "noble figure, manly beauty, 
and accomplished manners." He was prominent in political 
life and held numerous offices of public trust. He was district 
attorney for five years, and was twice senator from Lincoln 
county to the General Court of Massachusetts. He was com- 
missioned Major General of the militia in 1787. It was while 
General Lithgow and Judge Cony were so prominently before 
the public that one of their political opponents petulantly 
remarked: "There are certain men in society who seem to 

' The Lithgow Library and Reading-Room, p. iS. 



Men of the Fort and Hook 35 

have hereditary claim to every office in the power of the people 
to bestow." 

Colonel Arthur Lithgow, a brother of General William 
Lithgow, was appointed the first Sheriff of Kennebec County, 
in 1799. He married Martha Bridge of Pownalborough and 
built the elegant mansion now known as the Ruel Williams 
house, where he resided until his removal from town about 
1809. Colonel Lithgow maintained the family reputation for 
official ability, generous hospitality, and genial companionship. 
He was described by his friend, Mr. John H. Sheppard, as 
"one of nature's noblemen." 

A third brother, James Noble Lithgow, married Ann 
Gardiner, daughter of John Gardiner, the celebrated lawyer of 
Dresden, and son of Dr. Sylvester Gardiner. Their son 
Llewellyn W. Lithgow, married first: Mary Bowman, daughter 
of Thomas Bowman of Augusta ; second: Paulina P. Child, 
daughter of Elisha Child of Augusta. The " Lithgow 
Library" at Augusta, owes its existence to Llewellyn Lith- 
gow, and is a worthy monument to the name and to the 
generosity and public spirit of its founder. 

Another able and eminent man, without whom this 
notable group of settlers at the Fort would be incomplete, was 
Hon. James Bridge. In 1790, while the village was rapidly 
growing under the leadership of the men already mentioned, 
James Bridge, a Harvard graduate, who had read law with 
Theophilus Parsons of Newburyport, came to Hallowell and 
opened a law office in a room of old Fort Western. As 
General William Lithgow had then retired from practice, 
James Bridge v/as the only lawyer in Hallowell until the arrival 
of Hon. Amos Stoddard, at the Hook, in 1794. Mr. Bridge 
soon attained distinction in his profession, and was appointed 
Judge of Probate at the time of the organization of Kennebec 
county. Other public honors were conferred upon him by his 
fellow-citizens. He was a member of the Executive Council of 
Massachusetts, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 
Maine in 1820, and one of the commissioners that served under 
the act of separation. 



36 Old Hallozvell on the Kennebec 

In private, as in public life, Judge Bridge was highly 
esteemed. He married Hannah North, daughter of Hon. 
Joseph North, and was the father of an interesting and notable 
family. 

Other well-known and highly respected men settled at the 
Fort prior to the year 1797. Amos Pollard, the inn-keeper, 
came in 1777; Beriah Ingraham, in 1778; Benjamin Pet- 
tengill and Elias Craig, in 1779; Jeremiah Ingraham, in 1780; 
Samuel Titcomb and James Hewins, in 1783 ; William Brooks, 
in 1784; James Child, in 1786; Samuel Church, in 1787; 
George Crosby, in 1789; James Burton, prior to 1794; 
Barnabas Lambard, father of Allen and Thomas Lambard, 
in 1794 ; Theophilus Hamlen and his sons, Lewis, Perez, and 
Lot, in 1795. 

In the meantime, while the settlement at the Fort was 
thus increasing in size and prosperity, the large and valuable 
estates of Mr. Benjamin Hallowell and Dr. Sylvester Gardiner 
were opened to settlers, and the Hook soon received such a 
remarkable impetus, through the coming of a large number of 
men of wealth, culture, and enterprise that, during the next 
generation, it quite outdistanced its rival village at the Fort. 

Sketches of the families that were most prominently 
identified with the history of this part of the town will appear 
later in our story ; but the names of the earlier settlers, with 
the dates of their coming, should here be inscribed in advance, 
like the names of the characters in a play, for they represent 
the actors who first took a recognized part in the drama of 
every-day life at the Hook. 

Preeminent among these early residents were Charles and 
Benjamin Vaughan, two English gentlemen of wealth, 
education, and high social position whose arrival at Hallowell 
at once conferred distinction upon the place. To the public 
spirit and indefatigable efforts of these two brothers, the early 
development and upbuilding of the village at the Hook were in 
a great measure due. 

Mr. Charles Vaughan came to Hallowell about 1791, and 



Men of the Fort and Hook 37 

settled on the estate of his maternal grandfather, Benjamin 
Hallowell. Mr. Vaughan saw at once the great possibilities of 
this location and entered upon extensive business enterprises 
with the utmost courage and enthusiasm. He built and 
equipped a large flour-mill on the banks of the Bombahook 
stream in 1793. He constructed a fine wharf at Bombahook 
point and erected stores and warehouses in that vicinity. He 
cleared a large farm and imported stock from the best herds in 
England. He was also extensively interested in horticulture 
and introduced from England a great variety of fruit trees, 
small fruits, and vegetables all of which he distributed with a 
liberal hand to the farmers of the surrounding country. 

Dr. Benjamin Vaughan, who came to Hallowell in 1797, 
was no less influential in promoting the public welfare. Dr. 
Vaughan was a graduate of Edinburgh University, an eminent 
physician, a remarkable scholar, and a gentleman of the highest 
culture and refinement. Like his brother, Dr. Vaughan was 
interested in agricultural pursuits, and his gardens and 
orchards were filled with rare flowers and fruits. Under his 
supervision, apples, cherries, plums, and peaches flourished 
wonderfully in this new soil and climate ; and scions from the 
Vaughan gardens were eagerly sought by the neighboring 
farmers. 

In their business operations, the Vaughans gave employ- 
ment to many of the village people. They built comfortable 
homes for the employees ; and through their agricultural and 
manufacturing enterprises, they induced numerous families of 
an exceptionally good class to settle at the Hook. 

The homes of Charles and Benjamin Vaughan were social 
and intellectual centers from which radiated an influence for all 
that is good and uplifting. This influence permeated the 
whole community and has not ceased to be felt to the present 
day. The coming of the Vaughans to Hallowell was an event 
of incalculable importance at a critical period of the town's 
history ; and the impetus which it gave to the growth and 
prosperity of the place, materially, socially, morally, and 
intellectually, can not be over estimated. 



38 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Two other English gentlemen whose names have a 
prominent place in the annals of Old Hallowell were Mr. John 
Sheppard and Mr. John Merrick. 

Mr. Sheppard appears upon the scene of our story about 
1790. He settled near the place afterwards known as 
Sheppard's wharf, and there carried on a large mercantile 
business. He was also concerned with the Vaughans in build- 
ing a brewery and in other important enterprises. Mr. 
Sheppard was a man of education and culture, and his family 
occupied a high social position in the town. 

Mr. John Merrick came from England with the family of 
Dr. Benjamin Vaughan in 1797. He married Miss Rebecca 
Vaughan, daughter of Samuel Vaughan, and settled on the fine 
old estate long known as the Merrick place. Mr. Merrick 
lived to the advanced age of ninety-five years, and during his 
whole life he kept in close touch with public affairs, and was a 
prominent factor in the development of the town. 

The names of other early residents who enacted an influ- 
ential and useful part in the affairs of the Hook are given in 
the following record : 

Briggs Hallowell, son of Benjamin Hallowell, Esq., repre- 
sented his father's estate at the Hook as early as 1768. John 
Couch took up land in 1772. Shubael and Thomas Hinckley 
settled on the Plains in 1773. William Matthews was at the 
Hook in 1779. Nathaniel Cheever, bookseller and printer, and 
Elisha Nye, ship captain, came in 1781 ; Benjamin Prescott, in 
1783; David Sewall, merchant and Justice of the Peace, in 
1784; John Hains, Obediah Harris, and Eliphalet Oilman, in 
1785; Moses and John Sewall, in 1787 ; Alfred Martin, Thomas 
Metcalf, and William Dorr, in 1788 ; Hon. Nathaniel Dummer, 
post-master, magistrate, and legislator, in 1789; Jason Liver- 
more, John Beeman, and Samuel Dutton, prior to 1790, Dr. 
Benjamin Page, Hon. John O. Page, Aaron Page, James 
Norris, and Hon. Chandler Robbins were men of consequence 
in the community in 1791. Hon. Amos Stoddard, the first 
lawyer at the Hook, was established here early in 1794. 
Ebenezer Mayo, Deacon James Gow, William Morse. Jr., and 



Men of the Fort and Hook 39 

Daniel Evans, came in 1793 ; Thomas Lakeman, Nathaniel 
Colcord, and Hon. Nathaniel Perley, in 1794 ; James Partridge, 
Philip Lord, Abner Lowell, and William Drew in 1797. 

The influence of these important accessions was at once 
felt at the Hook. Life in this growing community soon broad- 
ened in its local interests and in its outlook upon state and 
national affairs. The frequent contact of the leading inhab- 
itants of the village with men and matters of the outside world 
resulted in the establishment of new enterprises at home. 
Public spirit was stimulated; and the foundation for the 
remarkable subsequent prosperity of this section of the town 
was laid before the people of Fort and Hook came to the 
parting of the ways. 



IV 

EVERY-DAY LIFE AND RELIGIOUS SERVICES 
OF THE PERIOD 

" Oh, tell me true what they used to do ! " 
My child, it was long ago. 

Professor Charles F. Richardson 

^^S THE period from 1771 to 1797 marked a distinct 
I^L era, not only in the civic but also in the social and 
^L, ^ religious development of the town, it will now be 
interesting to briefly consider the every-day life of the 
people of this time and the efforts that were made to establish 
a church and provide for the spiritual welfare of its 
congregation. 

During the few years following the incorporation of 
Hallowell, in 1771, the town began to increase in population 
and prosperity. The farmers, the fishermen, the lumbermen, 
and the traders prospered in their business, and many of the 
comforts and some of the luxuries of life were brought into the 
homes of the people. The Howards, who were very enterpris- 
ing business men, carried on a large coasting trade between the 
Kennebec and Boston, and also sent their vessels to Newfound- 
land and the West Indies. In 1773, they owned three sloops, 
the Phenix, the Industry, and the Two Brothers. In these 
trading vessels, the Howards sent out moose-skins, beaver, 
sable, lumber, shingles, etc., and brought back rum, molasses, 
tea, coffee, spices, hats, shoes, blankets, nails, ribbons, laces, 
and other salable commodities. 

Domestic manufactures at this time were encouraged and 
extensively carried on, for the people were unwilling to buy 
British goods. Calico was then six shillings a yard and not in 
general use. The women spun and wove their own flax into 
cloth from which they made their bed and table linen, and 
much of their own wearing apparel. "Tow" cloth was worn by 
the men and boys for shirts and loose trousers in the summer 



Every -day Life of the Period 41 

season. In winter, small-clothes of moose or deer skin, with a 
jacket and cap of fur, constituted a most comfortable costume. 

The young girls took an important part in all the house- 
hold tasks. They assisted in spinning and weaving, and in 
their spare hours they scoured the pewter, made the soap, and 
dipped the candles. For fancy work they knit mittens and 
socks, often introducing elaborate stitches, like "herring-bone," 
"fox and geese," or "open-work." Pegging and netting were 
considered accomplishments ; and some very beautiful bead 
bags and purses, and some very astonishing " samplers," 
handed down from those old days, bear witness to the art 
instincts of our great grandmothers. 

The upper and more prosperous classes dressed more 
elegantly, in accordance with the conventional fashions of the 
day. Some of our grand old dames of yore had chintzes, silks, 
and brocades, with ornaments and laces brought from Boston 
or from some foreign port. They wore high-heeled shoes, 
hooped petticoats, and tight-laced stays. Elaborately wrought 
kerchiefs, ornamental combs, jeweled belt-buckles, rings, and 
pins which were the personal possessions of our foremothers 
are still cherished as heirlooms in many of the families of old 
Hallowell. 

The men were even more conspicuous than the women by 
the elegance of their dress. A very excellent description of 
the costume of a gentleman of the Revolutionary period is 
given by Eaton in his Annals of Warren. This is a pen- 
picture worthy of preservation. 

"On the head was placed a fine, napless, beaver hat, with a brim 
two feet broad turned up on three sides. . . . One side of extra width 
was placed squarely behind, while the angle formed by the other two, 
directly over the nose, gave the countenance an imposing appearance 
and formed a convenient handle by which, on meeting persons of 
dignity, it was raised with all the gravity of ceremony. . . . Under 
the hat the head was still farther defended by a wig, which varied at 
different times and with different persons, from the full-bottomed curls 
on the shoulders, to the club, or tie wig, which had about a natural 
share of hair tied behind, with two or three very formal curls over each 
ear. 

" The coat was made with a stiff, upright collar reaching from ear 



42 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

to ear, and descended perpendicularly in front, with a broad back, and 
skirts thickly padded over the theighs and ornamented with gold and 
silver lace. The waistcoat was single-breasted, without a collar, and 
skirts rounded off, descending over the hips. Small clothes were 
buttoned and buckled at the knee. Stockings covered the rest of the 
leg ; and the foot was defended with a shoe, secured, at first, with a 
moderate sized silver or other metallic buckle, which continued to 
increase in size and vary in shape till it covered a great part of the 
foot. . . . The shirt was furnished with ruffles at the bosom and 
wrists. Sleeve buttons of brass, silver, or gold, often set with stones, 
were a necessary addition to this costume." ' 

Here we have a picture, from top to toe, of the gentleman 
of quahty at the time of the Revolution. Such was the 
costume of the dignitaries of old Hallowell who bore the titles 
of Captain, Judge, Esquire, and Deacon, and also of many of 
the humbler inhabitants of the town. 

After the war, some changes were made in the fashions. 
The style of "French Pantaloons" was introduced by the 
French officers during the Revolution ; the wig was succeeded 
by the long cue and club of natural hair, which, however, was 
often eked out with a false strand ; and the scarlet gold-laced 
coat gave way to garments of more sombre hue. 

It was at this time that the poet, who bewailed the spirit 
of his age, was constrained to write : 

" And what has become of your old-fashioned cloathes. 
Your long-sided doublet and your trunk hose. 
They've turned to new fashioned but what the Lord knows, 
And is not old England grown new ! 

" New trickings, new goings, new measures, new paces, 
New heads for your men, for women new faces. 
And twenty new tricks to mend their bad cases. 

And is not old England grown new ! " * 

"At the present day, such a village as old Hallowell," 
writes Judge Weston, "would be without attraction, promising 
nothing to stir the pulse of life. Such an inference would 
create an erroneous impression of the actual conditions here at 
this period. The place was full of life and animation. It was 
the central point of a great part of Kennebec county. The 

> Eaton's ^«na/i of Warren, p. 141. 
" Ballads about New England. 



Every -day Life of the Period 45 

river was the thoroughfare of travel ; by its waters in summer, 
and on the ice in winter. The Fort . . . was resorted to for 
supplies, for exchanges, and for information in regard to pass- 
ing events. All classes of people from various settlements 
came here, not only on business, but to seek exhilaration from 
association with others." 

These numerous guests of high and low degree all found 
shelter and entertainment in the public inns or taverns of the 
town. These hostelries of Fort and Hook, like those of all 
New England towns, were centers of social and political life. 
Here the people congregated and discussed the exciting ques- 
tions of the day. Local politics, the election of a representa- 
tive to General Court, or the measures of the Federal 
Government were alike subjects of absorbing interest. 
Pollard's tavern was a typical hostelry of the period. Here, 
we are told, " the men of the town often poured into their cup 
of enjoyment too large an infusion of artificial stimulants, and 
the gambols of exuberant spirits were often more exciting than 
commendable ; " but this was in the days before the temper- 
ance movement had banished the wine cup, and all the 
dignitaries of the town and even the divines of the church, 
sanctioned by their example the common custom of drinking, 
both at home and on public occasions. What then could 
be expected of the common people } 

The social life of the women at this period was necessarily 
very restricted. As there were no carriages in Hallowell, at 
this time, the matrons and maidens rode on horseback, often 
mounted on pillions behind the good-men of the town, and paid 
their neighborly visits in this manner. An illustration of the 
unconventional visiting and of the spirit of hospitality that 
prevailed in old Hallowell in these days is given by North from 
Mrs. Ballard's diary. 

"On the 9th of Feb. 1786, Ephraim and Mrs. Ballard with 
Amos and Mrs. Pollard who lived on the west side of the river, went to 
Samuel Bullen's on the east side and dined ; from thence, with the 
accession of Mr. and Mrs. BuUen, Baker Town, Mr. Shaw, and Mr. 
Davis, they proceeded to Samuel Button's on the west side where they 
met Dr. Cony and Lady, and spent the evening very agreeably, arriving 
at home at midnight." 



44 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

This seems to have been a sort of a progressive and 
cumulative house-party. 

As the roads began to widen, carriages were gradually- 
introduced among the more prosperous townspeople, but not 
without some opposition from the conservative folk who 
thought the wheeled vehicles would cause havoc by frightening 
the horses. Much traveling for business and pleasure was also 
done by sailing or canoeing up and down the river. 

In 1784, Henry and Thomas Sevvall and Elias Craig built a 
great canoe in which family parties frequently made visits to 
Pittston, Georgetown, and other places down the river. The 
first recorded trip of this *' great canoe " was made on a 
certain Sunday when " her owners and others went to a meet- 
ing in Pittston where they heard the Rev. Mr. McLean 
preach." 

During this same year General Henry Sewall made an 
eventful journey to Boston on horseback for the purpose of 
purchasing goods. He rode down the eastern side of the river 
to Pownalborough, swam his horse across the Eastern river, 
lodged at the house of his uncle, Henry Sewall, at Bath. From 
there he rode to Falmouth ; and at the end of the fourth day, 
he reached the home of his father at York, where he spent 
eight or nine days. Continuing his journey, he visited friends 
at Newburyport and at Cambridge where he "stopped" at 
Stephen Sewall's. The return journey was alleviated by a 
succession of visits, and after an absence of thirty-five days, 
fifteen of which had been spent on horseback. General Sewall 
reached his own home at Fort Western. Here he found that 
his goods, which had been shipped in Howard's sloop, had 
already arrived from Boston. 

This incident furnishes a typical illustration of a journey 
into the great world before the establishment of the famous 
line of Hallowell packets, and of the enterprise of the business 
men in these primitive times. During the next decade the 
facilities for traveling greatly increased ; and at the close of the 
eighteenth century there was a marked advancement in the 
general conditions of every-day life in Hallowell. 



Religious Services of the Period 45 

While some progress was thus being made in civic and 
social affairs at old Hallowell, the religious and spiritual life of 
the people was not entirely neglected. Our early settlers were 
from the first a law-abiding, God-fearing community ; they 
accordingly made an effort to establish religious services and to 
support a minister as soon as they were able to do so. The 
records of the early church in Hallowell therefore constitute an 
essential part in the life-story of the people. 

In considering these ancient records, we cannot fail to be 
deeply impressed, by the very remarkable character and the 
unusual talents of the numerous candidates for the pulpit in 
Hallowell prior to the ordination of the Rev. Mr. Stone at the 
Fort and of Rev. Mr. Gillet at the Hook. The mere mention 
of the names of these candidates gives to the present genera- 
tion no adequate idea of the remarkable qualifications of the 
men ; but a brief study of their life and subsequent work in the 
ministry reveals, in each instance, a most interesting and note- 
worthy story. 

In the first place, these candidates for the pulpit were all 
college graduates. Our forefathers demanded and always 
secured educated men for their pastors ; and it is with difficulty 
that we now realize how profoundly learned these ministerial 
graduates of Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth were in these early 
days. I doubt whether any of the candidates for our pulpits, 
in the present generation, have come to us so thoroughly 
versed in the classic tongues and so familiar with Latin, 
Greek, and Hebrew literature as were these eighteenth century 
ministers. 

Even the entrance requirements at Harvard at this period 
would have excluded from that institution many young men 
who are considered "fitted for college" at the present time. 
Take, for instance, this condition : " When any scholar is able 
to understand Tully or such like classical author extempore, and 
make and speak true Latin in verse and prose ; . . . and 
decline perfectly the paradigms of nouns and verbs in the 
Greek tongue, let him then and not before be capable of admis- 
sion into college." ' 

• Pierce. Histoiy of Harvard University, A\>x>&rid\ii. i,-^. 



46 Old Hallowell 07i the Kennebec 

After entering the college, the student was obliged to 
drop the English language and use Latin as the medium of 
conversation.' Moreover, the course of study at Harvard 
included grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, 
physics, astronomy, ethics, politics, divinity ; exercises in 
style, composition, epitome both in prose and verse ; Greek, 
Latin, Hebrew, Syriac, and Chaldee. No one was deemed 
"fit to be dignified with his first degree until he was found 
able to read the originals of the Old and New Testaments 
into the Latin tongue and to resolve them logically." "This 
extraordinary training in the ancient languages," writes Profes- 
sor Tyler, "led to forms of proficiency that have no parallel 
now in American colleges." It was no wonder that one of the 
presidents of this ancient university was accustomed to close 
his chapel prayers by asking the Lord to bless Harvard 
College and all inferior institutions.^ 

It will be seen from this brief reference to the college 
curriculum, why the minister, in olden times, was looked up to 
not only as the spiritual but as the intellectual leader of his 
flock. He was the equal and often the superior of any man in 
his congregation. Therefore, when we read of the early candi- 
dates for the pulpit in Hallowell, let us not forget that they 
were all men of profound learning who literally possessed the 
gift of tongues. 

The very first minister who preached to our early settlers 
was the Rev. Jacob Bailey, of Pownalborough. Our town 
records contain but one brief entry in regard to this ancient 
divine and that is from his own journal of April 8th, 1763, "I 
preached however at Captain Howard's and had a considerable 
congregation of the upper settlers." And yet who was this 
ancient divine who came to this obscure little hamlet on the 
Kennebec, and to whom the Howards, the Clarks, the Coxes, 
the Davenports, and other settlers had the honor of listening at 
that early date t He was a Harvard graduate of the famous 
class of 1755, — a class that counted among its members John 
Adams, President of the United States ; John Wentworth, 

* Qmncy^ s History of Harvard University, Vol. 1, p. 575. 

2 Tyler's American Literature During the Colonial Time, Vol. II, p. 308. 



Religious Services of the Period 47 

Royal Governor of New Hampshire; William Brown, Royal 
Governor of Bermuda; David Sewall, Judge of the Supreme 
Court of Massachusetts; Samuel Locke, President of Harvard 
in 1770; Charles Gushing and Jonathan Bowman of Pownal- 
borough ; and other eminent men of whom Jacob Bailey was in 
his college days the intellectual peer. He had not only 
enjoyed social advantages at home as the guest of Sir William 
Pepperell and of Governor Wentworth of New Hampshire, but 
he had traveled abroad and dined with his illustrious country- 
man, Benjamin Franklin, in London. More than this, he had 
been received by the Bishop of London, entertained by the 
Archbishop of Canterbury, in the famous palace of Lambeth, 
and had dined with his lordship, the Bishop of Rochester, and 
the Bishop of London's lady in a vast marble hall, "at a table 
attended by ten servants, and covered with silver dishes and 
•drinking cups either of glass or solid gold, and on which twenty- 
four different dishes were served all dressed in such an elegant 
manner that many of the guests could scarce eat a mouthful." • 
While in London, Mr. Bailey took holy orders in the 
Church of England. He was then sent, by the Society for 
Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, as a frontier mission- 
ary, to the wilds of the Kennebec. The after-story of the life 
of this learned and able minister, and of his zealous efforts for 
the salvation of souls in this hitherto entirely neglected region, 
is one of absorbing interest. His heroic and successful labors 
on the Kennebec ended, unfortunately, at the outbreak of the 
Revolution when, as a Tory minister, loyal to his church and 
his king, he was driven from his home and obliged to take 
refuge in Halifax. He was afterwards settled over a parish at 
Annapolis, Nova Scotia, where he was honored rector of St. 
Luke's for twenty-four years. 

The next minister who dispensed the bread of life to the 
needy congregation at Old Hallowell was the Rev. John Murray. 
This celebrated clergyman was a graduate of the University of 
Edinburgh where he completed his course "with high honor." 
Upon his arrival in this country in 1763, he went to visit 
his sister, Mrs. Jean Murray Reed, at Boothbay, and while 

' Bartlett's Frontier Missionary, p. 63. 



48 Old Halloivcll on the Kennebec 

there promised the people that if they were ever able to support 
a minister, he would come again and settle with them. He then 
went to Philadelphia where his genius and powers of oratory 
were at once recognized; and, in 1765, he was called to the 
Second Presbyterian Church of that city. The following year 
the people of Boothbay built a meeting-house and requested 
Mr. Murray to redeem his promise. It was only after great 
persuasion, and with great regret, that the Philadelphia church 
released their new and highly esteemed pastor. 

This remarkable man was considered by many as the peer 
of Whitefield in the pulpit. He was a man of strong intellect, 
unwavering purpose, and magnetic personality; and these 
characteristics were accompanied by rare graces of heart. 
Wherever he preached, the churches were filled to overflowing. 
He was the most popular and distinguished minister of his 
time in Maine. His sermons were often two and three hours 
long, but the attention of his audiences never wavered. His 
fame extended throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts, 
and he received frequent calls to settle in those states. 

Mr. Murray was a handsome man of fine personal 
appearance. He wore, in the pulpit, a white wig, gown, and 
bands, and was remarkable for his dignified and imposing 
presence. 

In the year 1773, the selectmen of Hallowell were 
authorized to procure preaching for two months and as much 
longer as they found "money in the treasurer's hands for that 
use." Accordingly the Rev. Mr. Murray was invited to preach 
at Fort Western. The passage of the reverend gentleman up 
the river was made in a large canoe rowed by hired oarsmen. 
It is stated that the style and state in which he came would be 
quite equal to that of a coach and span of horses at the present 
day. 

What impression this remarkable preacher made upon the 
people of Hallowell is not a matter of record; but it is evident 
that they could offer him no inducement to settle with them. 
Mr. Murray remained the devoted pastor of the church at 
Boothbay for fourteen years. He married Susanna Lithgow, 
one of the beautiful and accomplished daughters of Colonel 



Religious Services of the Period 49 

William Lithgow, and resided upon a delightfully located 
eminence overlooking Boothbay Harbor. The parsonage, 
which was called " Pisgah," was a very handsome house sur- 
rounded by shrubbery and pleasant gardens. In 1781, Mr. 
Murray yielded to the urgent and oft-repeated request of the 
church at Newburyport to become its pastor. There he 
preached with unabated fervor and success until his death in 

1793- 

A second ministerial candidate at Hallowell during the 
year 1773 was the Rev. John Allen whom the town "voted to 
hire." Of this first resident minister of Hallowell, Miss Annie 
F. Page, in her valuable and interesting monograph on "The 
Old South Church at Hallowell," writes as follows : " Mr. 
Allen seems to have been a preacher of righteousness, for in 
one of his discourses, he said he 'would be glad to see morality 
and good works in their highest latitude.' He stayed a few 
months — as long as the funds held out, indeed longer, for he 
left the town very much in his debt, which indebtedness was 
not canceled until after his death." 

Other able candidates came and went. In 1775, Rev. 
Thurston Whiting preached a few Sabbaths. He is described 
as "a young man of prepossessing appearance, agreeable man- 
ners, cultivated mind, and of the orthodox faith.' He after- 
wards became the pastor of the church at Warren. In 1777, 
a call was given to the Rev. Caleb Jewett of Newburyport, a 
Dartmouth graduate, at a salary of eighty pounds a year, 
" corn to be taken for part payment at four shillings a bushel." 
This call was declined. Mr. Jewett was followed by the Rev. 
John Prince, a Harvard graduate, who was also permitted to 
depart to other fields. 

In 1782, the long-talked of meeting-house was erected at 
the Fort village. It was while the building of this edifice was 
going on that the famous rencontre between Deacon Cony and 
Edward Savage took place. The story as quoted by North, 
from Judge Weston's Reminiscences, is as follows: 

"On one occasion when the opposing parties became 
warm, it was necessary to take the sense of the meeting by 

' Annals of Warren, p. 175. 



50 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

polling the house, . . . when Deacon Cony, 'a remarkably 
mild man,' led the movement in favor of the measure by calling 
out as he went to one side of the room, 'All who are on the 
Lord's side follow me,' while Edward Savage, a sturdy, strong 
man of rough manners, who was in the opposition and not to be 
put down by the Deacon's appeal, called out, 'AH who are on 
the Devil's side, follow me.' The Deacon had the best 
company and the most followers, and carried the question." 

After the erection of the meeting-house, there was another 
long-protracted period of candidacy. The Rev. Nathaniel 
Merrill, a Harvard graduate, and the Rev. Seth Noble, after- 
wards settled at Bangor, preached on trial. General Sewall 
was not pleased with either of these candidates. Then came 
the Rev. William Hazlitt, a notable English divine who 
preached at the new meeting-house fourteen Sabbaths. 

It seems very strange that this eminent English clergyman 
should have been passed over in the records with such scant 
notice. There is nothing to indicate who he was nor whence 
he came; but, of course, the town clerk could not at this time 
have known that Mr. Hazlitt was the father of a son destined 
to become a famous English critic and essayist, or that he was 
himself a man of exceptional gifts and graces. 

Mr. Hazlitt came to Hallowell with a letter of introduction 
from Mr. Samuel Vaughan of Boston ; and was engaged to 
preach for two months. General Sewall, who was present at 
his first service, declared him an Arminian, and believed him 
an Arian. " From such doctrines," writes Sewall in his diary, 
" I turned away and met with a few brethren at Pettingill's 
corner in the afternoon." 

As Mr. Hazlitt was an avowed Unitarian, it could hardly 
be expected that his theological views would be supported by 
Mr. Sewall, or by a majority of the church members. We are 
therefore not surprised to learn that at the close of his three 
months candidacy he returned to Massachusetts, and was 
known no more in Hallowell. 

An interesting account of Mr. Hazlitt's experiences in 
Hallowell is given by his daughter Margaret who in her diary 
wrote as follows : 



Religious Services of the Pet-iod 51 

"In the autumn of this year (1785) Mr. Sam. Vaughan 
persuaded him to go to a new settlement on the Kennebec, 
called Hallowell, in the province of Maine, where Mr. Vaughan 
had a large tract of land and much interest in settling the 
township. This was in the midst of woods, with a few acres 
cleared round each farm, as usual in all their new places, which 
by degrees are changed from solitary woods to a fruitful land. 
At this time the wolves were near neighbors, and sometimes at 
night would come prowling about the place, making a dismal 
noise with their hideous barking ; and as the doors were with- 
out locks, and my father slept on the ground floor, he used to 
fasten his door by putting his knife over the latch to prevent a 
visit from these wild beasts. 

" In this remote place he found a very respectable society, 
many of them genteel people. Here he preached a Thanks- 
giving sermon, which was afterwards printed in Boston. It 
was the custom in New England to preach one every year 
after harvest. He would have had no great objection to settl- 
ing with these people, but it would not have been eligible for 
his sons. John's profession [miniature painting] was not 
wanted in the woods, where good hunters and husbandmen 
were more needed. He therefore, after spending the winter 
there, returned to us in the spring." ' 

Mr. Hazlitt during his sojourn in this country, preached in 
Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
and Maryland. His influence in this country was not without 
some effect. In 1789, Rev. James Freeman wrote: "Before 
Mr. Hazlitt came to Boston, the Trinitarian doxology was 
almost universally used. That honest good man prevailed upon 
several respectable ministers to omit it. Since his departure, 
the number of those who repeat only scriptural doxologies has 
greatly increased, so that there are many churches in which 
the worship is strictly Unitarian." ^ 

Mr. Hazlitt returned to England with his family and died 
there in 1820. His son William became the famous English 
critic and essayist. If this boy had been brought up at 

' The HazlMs in America a Century Since, Antiqn2.iy, lo; 139. 
2 Note in Beisham's Unitarianism. 



52 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Hallowell, on the shores of the Kennebec, instead of in Old 
England, he would not have been entirely deprived of a literary 
atmosphere, but it is doubtful whether his talents would have 
developed in the same line as in his English home, and in 
association with Lamb, Shelley, Coleridge, and other congenial 
and gifted contemporaries. But although Mr. Hazlitt, accord- 
ing to his daughter's journal, "had no great objections to 
settling with these people," at Hallowell, the town voted to pay 
him seventy dollars for fourteen days' preaching, including 
Thanksgiving, and permitted him to depart without a call." 

In 1786, another very remarkable man, the Rev. Isaac 
Forster, a Yale graduate, preached on probation and was 
invited to settle by a vote of " fifty-seven for and four against." 
General Sewall, as might have been expected, was one of the 
"four against;" for, according to his views, Mr. Forster 
preached "poor doctrine." The strictly orthodox soul of the 
General was so stirred by the result of the church vote that he 
observed a private fast at Brother Daniel Pettingill's and 
then entered a vigorous protest against the ordination of 
Mr. Forster. The protest was in vain and Mr. Forster was 
ordained. He remained for two years during which there was a 
constant conflict between the discordant parties in the church. 

We cannot wonder at this dissension when we consider the 
"rank discourses" preached by Mr. Forster. From General 
Sewall's protest we learn that Mr. Forster denied that Adam 
was created holy ; he denied the total depravity of human 
nature in its unregenerate state, holding it only in extent and 
not in degree ; he did not believe in the doctrine of absolute, 
unconditional election ; . . . and finally Mr. Forster held that 
the heathen who are destitute of the gospel really do their duty 
in their worship, even though they should hold to a plurality 
of deities. 

Mr. Forster was evidently imbued with the spirit of higher 
criticism in advance of his times ; but notwithstanding this 
disqualification, he was duly ordained as pastor of the church 
in 1786. 

' HoTth's //istoryo/Auffusia, p. 20S. 



Religious Services of the Period 53 

A very suggestive reference to this ordination was made by- 
Judge Weston in an address delivered July 4th, 1854. 

"Among the resident citizens," said Judge Weston, 
"there was a strong desire to enjoy the advantages of moral 
and religious instruction from the pulpit. This was given from 
time to time by occasional preachers, until the ordination of 
Rev. Isaac Forster, in 1786. I remember that event. I saw 
the assembled multitude in the meeting-house and on the 
contiguous grounds. It was the spectacle which interested me. 
I have no recollection of the services. There followed the 
feasting and hilarity at that time usual on such occasions. 
Pollard's house resounded with music and dancing, kept up by 
relays of participants, quite beyond the endurance of a single 
set." 

This vivid picture of the hilarity attending the ordination 
of a minister in these old days is not peculiar to the locality of 
old Hallowell, but is characteristic of the times. I find another 
illustration of the manner of celebrating this solemn function in 
the journal of good old Parson Smith of F'almouth, who, after 
attending the ordination of Mr. Foxcroft at New Gloucester, 
made this brief but significant entry in his diary : "A jolly 
ordination ; we lost sight of decorum." 

The story of Mr. Forster's pastorate discloses a constant 
conflict between the discordant parties of his church. At the 
end of two years Mr. Forster was forced to resign and the 
church was again left without a pastor. Other great and good 
men like Rev. Eliphalet Smith and Rev. Ezekiel Emerson 
occupied the pulpit from time to time, as candidates or supplies, 
and the statement has also been made, and frequently repeated, 
that the Rev. Adoniram Judson, the famous missionary to 
Burmah, preached at Hallowell in 1791. But Adoniram Judson, 
the missionary, was not born until 1788; and although he was 
a precocious youth and early devoted to the ministry, it hardly 
seems probable that he was candidating for the pulpit at the 
immature age of three years. It was doubtless the Rev. 
Adoniram Judson, Senior, the father of the missionary, who 
was officiating as candidate in Hallowell in 1791. 

It must thus be admitted that the church of Hallowell, in 



54 Old Hallowell on the Kejinebec 

its embryonic days, had a very remarkable succession of able 
and distinguished candidates for its pulpit. Nevertheless, the 
community suffered from the disadvantages of this intermittent 
course of preaching, and from the lack of regularity and 
unanimity in its public worship. It was therefore a matter of 
rejoicing when the Rev. Mr. Stone was ordained over the 
church of the Middle Parish in 1794, and the Rev. Mr. Gillet, 
over the church of the South Parish in 1795. 



Such was the life of the people of Hook and Fort in Old 
Hallowell. It was a life made up, like that of which Emerson 
tells us, " out of love and hatred ; out of sickness and pain ; out 
of earnings, and borrowings, and lendings, and losses ; out of 
wooing and worshipping ; out of traveling, and voting, and 
watching, and caring." It was a gradual development from the 
primitive conditions of the wilderness to the comforts, the 
refinements, and higher ideals of the nineteenth century. 
Through this experience, our forefathers attained their concep- 
tion of the "more serene and beautiful laws " of existence. 




Ancient Boundary Line 



V 
THE DIVISION OF THE TOWN 

" The rift was now fatally widening." — Captain Charles E. Nash. 

^I^BJ^HE last decade of the eighteenth century was a most 
£ "^ eventful period in the history of Hallowell. From a 
^^L small and scattered settlement of fifty families in 
^^^ the year 1775, the town had grown, in 1790, into two 
prosperous villages with a combined population of over eleven 
hundred inhabitants. During the next ten years, this double 
community made remarkable progress. Business flourished, 
important institutions were founded, great public enterprises 
were undertaken, and then, as a supreme climax to the 
inevitable rivalry of interests between the Fort and Hook, 
Hallowell was divided into two towns, in 1797. The years of 
this decade may very fittingly be called the eventful nineties. 

The first notable event of public interest during the 
memorable period between 1790 and 1800 was — after the 
development of the business interests of the town — the building 
of the court-house at the upper village in 1790. The next was 
the incorporation of the Hallowell Academy at the lower village 
in 1 79 1. The establishment of this time-honored institution 
gave to the Hook great educational advantages, and was a 
potent factor not only in the intellectual but in the material 
advancement of the town. 

In 1794, the sessions of the Supreme Judicial Court of 
Massachusetts were estabhshed at Hallowell. As the court- 
house had been located at the Fort, the sittings of the Supreme 
Court were held in this part of the town ; but the honor and 
glory of these occasions were so great that the Hook also 
shared in their radiated splendor. The first session convened 
July 8, 1794. This was a very grand and spectacular event. 
The judges present were Paine, Sumner and Dawes. They 
were accompanied by the most famous lawyers of the day. 



56 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

among whom were Attorney General Sullivan, Theophilus 
Parsons, and Nathan Dane. The three sheriffs, each with his 
cocked hat, his glittering sword, and his long, white staff of 
office, were most imposing figures as they marshalled the 
grand procession of judges and jurists to the beating of the 
drum, and led them to the meeting-house, — since the court 
room proved too small to hold the vast assembly. 

The session of the Supreme Court was the occasion not 
only for the adjustment of all local claims but for choosing the 
representatives to the General Court and electors to the 
Federal Congress. It brought together prominent men well 
informed in state and national affairs, and also the gentry of 
the whole surrounding country, who, as Judge Weston tells us, 
" came to see and be seen and to enjoy the novelty and excite- 
ment of the occasion." The sittings of the Supreme Court 
were therefore always attended by many social functions. The 
convivial feasting that began at all the small inns and the taverns 
of the town was repeated on a larger and more elegant scale 
in the homes of the prominent people. As the valley of the 
Kennebec, even at this early day, was famous for its able 
lawyers, the visiting barristers and judges were entertained in 
the homes of many brilliant men of their own profession. 
The coming of the members of the court therefore gave an 
added distinction to society in Hallowell, and both Fort and 
Hook shared in the prestige of the occasion. 

The year 1794 was also memorable for the establishment 
of a weekly mail from Portland, via Monmouth and Winthrop, 
to Hallowell ; for the division of the town into three parishes ; 
and for the ordination of Rev. Mr. Stone over the church of 
the Middle Parish. 

Another event of signal importance in 1794 was the found- 
ing" of the first newspaper of Hallowell. This was the 
Eastern Star which for one short year shed its illuminating 
beams upon the shores of the Kennebec. 

In 1775, the Eastern Star was succeeded by a new paper 
with the somewhat alarming name of the Tocsin. Both of these 
papers were published at the Hook. A little later, in the year 
1775, the Intelligencer was issued at the Fort. These papers 



The Division of the Town 57 

were of great importance in bringing the people of the Kenne- 
bec in touch with the outside world, in elevating public senti- 
ment, and especially in moulding the political opinions of 
their readers at a critical time of our state and national history. 

In 1796, the famous Old South meeting-house was erected 
at the Hook, and the Rev. Eliphalet Gillet was duly installed 
as pastor. In this year also occurred the most exciting 
event that had thus far taken place in the history of the town. 
This was the granting of a charter for the building of the 
Kennebec Bridge at Fort Western. 

Finally, as a supreme climax to the story of the Hook and 
Fort, came the division of Hallowell into two towns, in the year 
1797. This year is therefore a most memorable one in the 
history of both places. 

The causes that led to the division of the town of Hal- 
lowell are neither obscure nor difficult to understand, but are 
such as the impartial historian might readily anticipate. For 
the first few years after the incorporation of the town, both 
Fort and Hook were absorbed in the struggles and difficulties 
of all pioneer settlers, and the common needs of the people 
resulted in common measures for the good of the whole com- 
munity. In course of time, however, each of the two villages 
began to assume local importance ; and the inhabitants of each 
neighborhood naturally desired to build up the center nearest 
their own homes. At the Fort, the lumber business was a 
source of marked prosperity ; but the Hook, on account of its 
very superior facilities for navigation, built up its agricultural, 
mercantile, and shipping interests, and soon surpassed its 
sister village m size and commercial prosperity. A strong 
spirit of rivalry thus grew up between the two sections of the 
town. 

The church privileges were also, from the first, coveted by 
both villages, but the early religious services were always held 
at the Fort. The first meeting-house was built at the Fort 
village, and the inhabitants of the Hook found it inconvenient 
to attend divine worship every Sunday. This was one of the 
earliest causes of dissatisfaction and dissension. 



58 Old Hallow ell o?i the Kennebec 

But the sharpest conflict between the two villages was in 
the administration of town affairs. Local politics ran high at 
both Fort and Hook. As long as the Fort held the leadership 
and was accorded the control of affairs, all went well ; but 
when the Hook began to increase in size and prosperity and to 
have able men to represent its interests, it demanded its share 
in the public emoluments. A strong sectional feeling became 
apparent in all public transactions. This feeling grew with the 
growth of the town, and soon began to manifest itself in out- 
spoken rivalry. 

This spirit of rivalry was especially manifest at the town 
meetings where there were numerous minor questions at issue. 
Some of these questions were : Who were qualified to be 
voters, how many selectmen should be appointed, and where 
the town meetings should be held. North states that, at the 
annual meeting in 1793, "a violent attempt was made by the 
people at the Hook to remove the office of town clerk to that 
neighborhood, in which they were defeated by the election of 
Henry Sewall to that office by a majority of 18 votes." The 
town records add that a protest was entered against the moder- 
ator of this meeting by which it was claimed that twenty-four 
persons eligible to vote were prevented from doing so by the 
action of the moderator. 

The last cojip d'etat in this struggle was made in 1795, 
when " the Hook surprised the town meeting, assembled at the 
meeting-house, into an adjournment to meet, for the first and 
only time, at the Academy at the Hook. The Fort rallied its 
strength and adjourned back." The constable, at this time, 
was Jeremy Black, a popular young Scotchman, who was quite 
equal to the occasion. He was tall and straight, with an 
imposing figure. Dressed in his official costume, with shining 
buckles at the knees and upon his shoes, and with powdered 
hair tied in a cue, he majestically waved his wand of office, 
headed the victorious voters and marched them back to the 
village at the Fort. 

The foregoing statements represent the more serious 
aspect of the situation just before the division of the town. A 
few quotations from the columns of the Intelligencer, published 



The Division of the Town 59 

at the Fort, and the Tocsin pubhshed at the Hook, will in their 
spirited but good-natured thrusts quite as plainly disclose the 
trend of public sentiment. 

In April of this year, 1796, there were lying at anchor at 
Fort Western, the surprisingly large number of fifteen sloops 
and schooners, among which were the Phebe and the Two 
Brothers belonging to the Howards. The Intelligencer proudly 
published a list of the vessels with their tonnage and the names 
of their commanders. In response to this, the Tocsin made a 
few pithy remarks in its next issue. I copy from the ancient 
files of this paper now preserved in the Hubbard Free Library, 
the following "editorial " which appeared under date of May 3, 
1796: 

** We see in the Intelligencer, a paper printed at a village, 
two miles and a half above this place, a pompous account of the 
arrival of shipping at Fort Western." [This, as the Tocsin 
states in a foot-note, is a village which derives its name from a 
block house that is still standing and makes a respectable part 
of the settlement.] " Had it been a thing uncommon or 
worthy of public notice we might have given our readers earlier 
information that these vessels named and many others all 
safely arrived at this port from sea ; and this week we might 
have added, that being favored with a freshet which brought 
the waters 6 feet above high-water mark, part of the fleet 
seized the opportunity of a strong southerly wind and run their 
hazard to Fort Western. 

" Considering that many gentlemen abroad may have their 
interest concerned in such desperate navigation, we think it our 
duty to inform them that the larger vessels have prudently 
fallen down without their ladiiig to this port, and although they 
got aground, we are happy to add no material damage occurred 
— doubtless the rest will take into consideration the propriety 
of hastening their departure to the Hook. 

" N. B. Those who have concern for the ships of 17 tons 
there mentioned may feel easy, for if the freshet should fall the 
navigation will be as usual — the men may get out & push such 
vessels over the shoals." 



6o Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

The editor of the Intelligence?', *' hearing a few discordant 
notes from the Alarm Bell, ahas the Tocsin,'' makes a witty 
reply. He admits that " the ship Betsey of three hundred and 
seventeen tons and drawing about nine feet of water which was 
launched at this place a few days since, unfortunately struck on 
the shoalest ground between Fort Western and the entrance of 
the Kennebec," but is happy to add, that " through the friend- 
ly exertions of the editors of the Tocsiti, she was fortunately 
pushed over the shoals zxi^L received no material injury." The 
Intelligencer adds : " We hope they will render the same 
friendly assistance should the Montezuma of three hundred 
tons which will be launched on Wednesday next by Messrs. 
Howard, meet the like accident. We however congratulate the 
public on the fair prospect of this bar — which is an obstruction 
to the navigation of large vessels to Fort Western, — the head 
of navigation, being shortly removed, as we understand a sub- 
scription for that purpose is on foot and will be doubtless 
accomplished next summer ; as also the Kennebec bridge will 
in all probability be erected at that time." 

Here are two very pointed thrusts at the Hook : the appar- 
ently casual mention of Fort Western as the head of navigation, 
and the triumphant announcement of the coveted Kennebec 
bridge. The Intelligencer then adds : " These important 
objects when accomplished must at once decide on the decline 
of the increasing importance of the Hook village below." ' 

The question of building the bridge and of the place of its 
location now proved to be the supreme issue between the Fort 
and the Hook. The necessity of a bridge across the Kennebec, 
for purposes of travel and trade, was most obvious to all con- 
cerned ; but the people of the two villages could not agree as to 
its location. North tells us that the Fort claimed the location 
on the ground that the bridge would be at the head of the tide 
and not obstruct navigation. The people of the Hook declared 
they were at the head of navigation and their village was the 
only suitable place for the erection of the bridge. 

Each village had its able and loyal advocates. A petition 
signed by Samuel Howard and others for an act authorizing 

I North's History of Augusta, p. 276. 



The Division of the Toivn 6i 

them to build a bridge at Fort Western, was presented to the 
legislature. Daniel Cony, Senator, and James Bridge, Repre- 
sentative, used all their influence in behalf of the Fort. The 
Hook was represented by Mr. Charles Vaughan, a most able 
advocate who had strong personal and political influence both 
at home and in Massachusetts. 

The petition was referred by the Legislature to a commit- 
tee of which Captain Choate was chairman. It appears from 
the records that Captain Choate had once visited the Kenne- 
bec while in the coasting trade ; and that he expressed to Dr. 
Cony the opinion that Fort Western was the only suitable 
place for the bridge. We cannot now tell how far the members 
of the committee were influenced by the opinion of the chair- 
man, but they decided in favor of Fort Western ; and an act 
incorporating a company, with authority to build the bridge 
at this place, was passed on February 8th, 1796. 

This was a great and bitter disappointment to the people 
of the Hook who had long, in their imagination, seen the 
Kennebec spanned by a noble bridge connecting their village 
with the opposite shores. It was vehemently protested that 
this was the best place for the bridge, both on account of the 
natural advantages of the location and the requirements of the 
public ; but this protest was without avail. 

This heated contest resulted in the culmination of sectional 
feeling between the two villages, and was soon followed by the 
division of Hallowell into two separate towns. By an act of 
the Legislature on February 20th, 1797, the town of Hallowell 
was divided and nearly two-thirds of its territory and about 
one-half of its taxable property were set off for a new town. 
The dividing line passed just south of Howard's Hill on the 
west side of the river and north of the Davenport grant on the 
east side. The new town, at the suggestion of Hon. Amos 
Stoddard, was named Harrington, in honor of Lord Harrington, 
an eminent English statesman. This name was soon corrupted 
into " Herringtown," and became a term of derision. A 
petition was therefore made to the Legislature stating that, for 
many reasons which operate on the minds of your petitioners, 
they are desirous that the name of Harrington may be changed 



62 



Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 



to the name of "Augusta." This appeal was granted and on 
June 9th, 1797, Harrington became Augusta. The Hook had 
the good fortune of retaining its old and honored name of 
Hallowell. 

The following list of officers elected April 2, 1798 gives 
the names of some of the prominent residents at this important 
date. 



Benjamin Pore, 

Daniel Evans, 
James Lathrop, 

John Odi^in Page, 



Town Clerk. 

Constables. 

Treasurer. 



Nathaniel Dummer, 
Robert Randall, 
Peter Grant, 



Selectme7i and Assessors. 



Martin Brewster, 
James Hinkley Jr., 
Ebenezer Church, 
William Dorr, 
Samuel Stevens, 
James Atkins, 



Surveyors of Highways. 



Abraham Davenport, 
Jeremiah Dummer, 
Joseph Smith, 



Tythingmen. 



Joseph Brown, 
Ephraim Lord, 
Samuel Hussey, 
Nathaniel Colcord, 
Tristam Lock, 
Nathaniel TilTON, 
James Cocks, 
Ephraim Gilman, 
James Hinkley, 
Peter Grant, 
James Springer, 
James Partridge, 
Joseph Dummer, 
Daniel Evans, 
James Lathrop, 
Robert Randall, 
Thomas Eustice, 
Seth Littlefield, 
Benjamin Stickney, 



Surveyors of Lumber. 



The Division of the Tozvn 



63 



Moses Palmer, 
Shubael West, 
James Hinkley, 
WiLi/iAM Palmer Jr., 
Moses Carr, 



Cullers of Hoops and Staves 
also Packers of Beef and 
Fish. 



Benja. Stickney, 
Benja. Pore, 
William Dorr, 

Samuel Bullen, 



Fence Viewers. 



Samitel Bullen, 
Isaac Pilsbury, 
Thomas Davis, 
Thomas Hinkley, 

Abraham Davenport, 
Samuel Hussey, 
Andrew Goodwin, 
Nathan Sweatland, 
Nathaniel Colcord, 
Thomas Hinkley, 
Moses Palmer, 
William Dorr, 



Field Drivers. 



Fish Com. 



David Day, 
Daniel Heard, 
Thomas Stickney, 
Nathaniel Colcord, 



Sealers of Leather. 



Stephen Osgood, 
Benjamin Allen, 
Nathaniel Tilton, 



School Com. No. i. 



Jeremiah Dummer, 
Martin Brewster, 
Thomas Eustice, 
Joseph Smith, 
John Sheppard, 

Samuel Brewster, 
W^ooDWARD Allen, 
Thomas Davis, 



School Com. No. 2. 



School Com. No. j. 



William Springer, 
Nathaniel Rollins, 
Peter Grant, 



School Com. No. 4. 



The names of some of the most enterprising merchants of 
Hallowell may be learned from the advertisements in the 
cokimns of the " Tocsin'' 



64 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

On June 17th, 1796, Chandler Robbins announces a new 
variety store and " flatters himself that as he has imported his 
Goods immediately from the manufacturers, he shall be able to 
supply his friends and customers, either by wholesale or retail, 
at a rate that cannot fail to give satisfaction." 

Benjamin Page announces that he '* has lately received a 
very handsome assortment of Drugs and Medicines among 
which is a great variety of patent articles, . . . Also Nut- 
megs, Mace, Cloves, Cinnamon, Allum, Coperas, Logwood, Oil, 
Vitriol, Aquafortis, &, &." 

John Odlin Page advertises " A general assortment of 
English Goods suitable for the season: also best French 
Brandy, W. I. and N. E. Rum, Tea, Coffee, Cotton, Molasses, 
Loaf and Brown Sugar, Chocolate, Nutmegs, Starch, best Keg 
and Pigtail Tobacco, Russian and Swedes Iron, German Steel, 
a large assortment of Iron Ware, Tin ditto, few barrels very 
excellent cider. Rock Salt, Crockery Ware, &, which will be 
sold as low as at any store in town." 

It is evident that Mr. John Odlin Page had com- 
petitors in his line of business, for White & Lowell immediately 
announce that they have just received "A fresh and general 
assortment of English and West India goods, including all 
sorts of wearing apparel, household goods, ornaments, inclu- 
ding common and paste pins, West India Rum, Syder, Tea, 
Coffee and Molasses." 

This spirit of competition is also apparent in the advertise- 
ments of the large dry goods and variety stores. John 
Sheppard, one of the earliest and most enterprising merchants 
at the Hook in Hallowell, issues an advertisement enumera- 
ting in two long columns the articles in his newest and most 
"fashionable assortment of Callicoes, Chintzes, Stuffs, Kersey- 
meres, Table linen. Broad Cloths, Handkerchiefs, Muslins, 
Waistcoatings, Gloves, Stockings, hats. Hard ware, Glass ware. 
Crockery ware, &. &. &. Also — A general assortment of 
West India Goods." 

In the very next issue of the Tocsin, Chandler Robbins and 
Nathaniel Cogswell are each out with an advertisement longer 
and more varied in its list than that of Mr. Sheppard ; and a 



The Division of the Town 65 

little later Joshua Wingate & Son dazzle the eye of the public 
with their rich and rare assortment of all things desirable for 
the residents of old Hallowell. We are obliged ourselves to 
confess to a feeling of surprise at the great variety of dress 
goods, household furnishings, and toilette articles introduced 
by these enterprising merchants at the close of the eighteenth 
century. 

Other minor advertisements indicate the business and 
vocation of some of the early residents whose names are still 
familiar to our people. Robert Randall has for sale a quantity 
of excellent Liverpool salt. John Beeman announces "stone 
lime," Thomas Lakeman advertises for "two active lads as 
Apprentices to the bricklaying business," Nathaniel Kent 
offers " Cash and the highest price for shipping Furs" 
Nathaniel Cogswell makes a specialty of books and stationery, 
the Sewall Brothers have a seasonable announcement of 
summer goods, and "Miss Margaret Roberson, Mantua Maker, 
lately from Newburyport, informs the ladies that she would be 
happy to ser\'e them in the line of her profession." 

A great change had surely taken place in our mother town 
from the time of its incorporation in connection with the Fort, 
to the memorable year when it stood alone and bravely grappled 
with the problems of its own municipal, commercial, and social 
future. From a small hamlet, half dependent upon its neigh- 
bor, it had, at the end of a quarter of a century, emerged as a 
prosperous and independent town. Men of brains and capital 
controlled its large business enterprises. It had its own 
church with its revered pastor ; its Academy, with a scholarly 
and successful Preceptor ; its able and eloquent lawyers ; its 
"beloved physician;" its broad-minded statesmen; its enter- 
prising ship-builders, merchants, mechanics, and farmers. 
Comfortable homes with pleasant gardens stood upon its 
crescent-shaped shore and dotted the hillside that rose like a 
green amphitheater above. At the north, the green banks of 
Hinkley's point, and at the south the curving shores of Bomba- 
hook, like sheltering arms, defined the natural limits of the 
town. An atmosphere of prosperity and enthusiasm prevailed ; 
and we cannot now fail to be impressed with the courage and 



66 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

all-prevailing faith of the people when this old town began its 
new and independent life. 

The efforts of the loyal townspeople, new and old, were 
abundantly rewarded. Old Hallowell started upon a career of 
prosperity which in the retrospect seems almost phenomenal ; 
but contemporary records and the testimony of the " oldest 
inhabitant " unite to prove that " in the early part of this 
century there was no place in Maine that, from a business 
standpoint, stood higher than Hallowell; and socially and 
intellectually it had few if any equals." ' 

It is to this memorable period in the history of Hallowell 
that the thoughts of all her sons and daughters revert with 
faithful and affectionate remembrance, and if its story could be 
fully told, in a spirit of verity and with sympathetic under- 
standing, it would be one of rare interest and intrinsic value ; 
for the evolution of a representative New England town 
through the development of individual efforts and interests is a 
subject of importance to the psychologist and sociologist as well 
as to the maker of history. Moreover, the true historian is not 
he who merely compiles a record of facts and dates, but is one 
who discloses the elements that enter into the character of the 
people and shows the effects produced by circumstances and 
environment. It is, therefore, of the life of this ancient town 
in the palmy days of its existence that we would now if pos- 
sible present a picture which will be recognized as faithful and 
true by every son and daughter of old Hallowell. 

I History of Kennebec County, Vol. I, p. 510. 




' Behold, — a resting place of hope, — 
The pines on Ferry Hill! " 

— Ellen Hamlin Builcr. 



VI 
SOURCES OF HALLOWELL'S PROSPERITY 

" Hallowell, at the beginning of the present century, was one of the 
marked and promising towns of Maine. ... It was moreover, even 
at this early da> , the seat of a remarkably select society, included in 
which were a number of families of rare personal qualities and the 
highest cultivation." — Rev. Edward Abbott. 

A STRANGER visiting Hallowell, to-day, cannot fail 
to be impressed by the picturesque beauty of its 
location, and by the characteristic old-time New 
England atmosphere of the place. As he passes 
through its long, parallel streets or up and down its sloping 
hillsides, he will still see the handsome, spacious houses of the 
early settlers of old Hallowell, with their ever hospitable doors 
still open to the guest. As he walks along the business street, 
he will still note here and there the ancient stores and ware- 
houses wherein the masters of Hallowell's old mansions made 
their fortunes a hundred years ago. But neither the stranger 
within our gates, nor, indeed, many of our own people of the 
younger generation, are able now to picture for themselves the 
elegant social life that once went on within these stately homes, 
nor the scenes of bustle and activity that filled its long 
main thoroughfare. 

True it is, however, that at the opening of the nine- 
teenth century Old Hallowell was the busiest place in the 
district of Maine east of Portland and at one time bade fair to 
become the great commercial metropolis of the state. Its 
large warehouses were filled with the merchandise of its 
wealthy traders. Its wharves were lined with packets wait- 
ing to ship their loads of barley, oats, and corn to Boston and 
other ports. Its numerous trading vessels plied constantly 
between Hallowell and the West Indies, carrying out the 
exports of the Kennebec, and bringing back those commodities 
that formed the staple of trade with the town and country 



68 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

people. Ferry-boats were constantly employed in conveying 
passengers, produce, and lumber across the Kennebec. Six- 
teen stage routes centered at Hallowell, and long lines of 
vehicles of various kinds might daily be seen coming down 
Winthrop Hill or along the other thoroughfares. The main 
street of the town was often so crowded with these country 
teams that it was difficult for a carriage to find a passage way. 
Many of the country merchants drove directly to the wharves 
where the cargoes of groceries, rum, molasses, and other 
luxuries of life were sold before they were unladen ; for at this 
time Hallowell was the business center for a region of sixty 
miles around, and from all the settlements east, west, north, 
and south, came the small traders and people in general to 
purchase their stocks of goods and all their household supplies. 

An interesting statement in regard to old Hallowell is 
made by Edward A. Kimball, an English traveler who visited 
the valley of the Kennebec, a century ago : 

" In the winter when the inhabitants can travel on the 
snow, the lower streets are thronged with traffikers and their 
sleighs. (A local name for sledge learned from the Dutch 
Colonists.) Hallowell is the natural emporium for a vast tract 
of country. I found it asserted here that from the configura- 
tion of the country, the commerce of the upper Connecticut 
belongs to this place. Hallowell even hopes to dispute.^ with 
Montreal and Quebec in the commerce of the new settlements 
in lower Canada on the heads of the Connecticut and to the 
northward of New Hampshire and Vermont. Portland, which 
Hallowell hopes wholly to rival, enjoys some portion of the 
Canadian commerce, but this is owing probably only to want of 
roads between the new settlement in the province and the 
banks of the St. Lawrence. But Hallowell has still better 
prospects in the immediate contiguity of a fine grazing 
country." • 

An article in the American Encyclopedia issued in 1807, 
also states that Hallowell is the natural head of Kennebec 
navigation ; that it is a better distributing point for Canada 

' Civic Virtue, Professor Charles F. Richardson. 



Sources of Halloweirs Prosperity 69 

than Portland ; and that it is certain to become one of the 
largest American cities. • 

This prosperity and spirit of enterprise attracted men of 
all professions and trades to settle in Hallowell, and the popu- 
lation of the town rapidly increased. In 1821, Hallowell had 
about two thousand inhabitants. Upon its business street 
were seventy-one stores, including three large bookstores. It 
had two printing establishments where two weekly newspapers, 
and an astonishingly large number of books were printed. A 
table of statistics, by Judge Weston, shows that Augusta, at 
this time, had only one thousand inhabitants, only twenty 
stores, and no printing houses. In the light of its present 
prosperity, however, Augusta can well afford to accord to old 
Hallowell the glory of its one half-century of commercial and 
intellectual supremacy. 

The chief and direct sources of the business prosperity of 
old Hallowell were its commercial and maritime interests inclu- 
ding the great industry of ship-building that was carried on 
upon its shores. At this time, Hallowell was practically a sea- 
port town, and its river shores were lined with wharves and 
docks. The vessels built and owned at Hallowell sailed to 
many domestic and foreign ports and returned with cargoes 
that brought large profits to their owners. As the merchants 
of the town accumulated wealth, they joined with the ship- 
owners in building vessels, and much of the capital of the town 
was invested in this profitable industry. 

In these early days there were a dozen or more wharves 
located at neighborly intervals along the shore where vessels 
were constantly built and launched. As Sheppard's wharf was 
considered the head of navigation for the larger vessels, much 
of the ship-building centered in this vicinity; and here many of 
the brigs and schooners cast anchor and discharged their 
cargoes. 

Among the early "kings of industry" at Hallowell were 
the two pioneer ship-builders Isaac Pilsbury, who settled at 
Loudon Hill in 1792, and Captain Isaac Smith, who had a 

' Civic Virtue, Professor Charles F. Richardson. 



70 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

large ship-yard at Sheppard's wharf in the early nineties. 
Here the brig Belle Savage, the schooner Indiati Queen, and 
numerous packets, some of which Captain Smith commanded, 
were built and launched. 

Another early ship-builder at the Hook was Ebenezer 
Mayo, who came from Harwich, Cape Cod, to Hallowell in 
1793. He also had a ship-yard in the vicinity of Sheppard's 
Point, where he employed quite a large number of men, and 
where he was familiarly known as " Master Mayo." At his 
death in 181 5, anew vessel "of about one hundred tons 
burthen, with high deck, suitable for the West India Trade or 
coasting " was left in an unfinished condition in the ship-yard. 

Other vessels built in Hallowell, about this time, were the 
fast-sailing schooner Averick commanded by Captain George 
Carr, and the Ruby owned by Morse and Pool. These vessels 
plied back and forth between Hallowell and Boston as early as 
1797. 

Just north of Sheppard's Point were the wharves of 
Captain Sarson Butler where the sloop Ariadtie used to lie at 
anchor, and that of Captain Shubael West, with the Primrose 
and the Delia. These captains and their sloops were well 
known to the people of the Kennebec, as they plied for a 
number of years between Hallowell and Boston. They had no 
regular day for sailing, but each captain started when he was 
ready, providing there was a propitious wind ; and the pas- 
sengers meekly accommodated themselves to the order of the 
master. 

The next wharf was that of Abner Lowell who owned the 
Enterprise and the Rapid. ^ These two fine brigs were engaged 
in the West India trade. They sailed for Bermuda laden with 
lumber, hay, cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens, and returned in 
a few weeks with a cargo of molasses and that never failing 
article of general traffic, — "W. I. Rum." North of Lowell's 
wharf were Clark's, Sewall's, Livermore's, Dummer's, and 
others, — all busy and exciting places with the coming and 
going of many crafts. Great rafts of boards were also shipped 
at these wharves under the inspection of Gideon Gilman who. 



Sources of HallowelVs Prosperity 71 

with shingle and pencil in hand, and, on hot days, sheltered by 
his umbrella, surveyed every load as it was put on ship-board. 

More extensive than either of the above mentioned 
wharves was the one back of Kennebec Row, which extended 
the whole length of five stores. This wharf was built sixty or 
seventy feet out into the stream so that vessels could lie on 
three sides of it. The famous Boston packets, commanded by 
Andrew Brown, James Blish, Isaac Smith, and other well- 
remembered captains anchored here ; and this great wharf 
was often over-crowded with freight awaiting transporta- 
tion. An immense amount of business was transacted on the 
Kennebec wharf during the first quarter of the nineteenth 
century. Much of the freight shipped from Boston was for 
the country merchants and was stored in the neighboring ware- 
houses until called for. In the fall of the year, the wharf was 
crowded with wagons loaded with "Chenango" potatoes await- 
ing shipment to Boston and other ports ; and it was not an 
unusual sight to see loads of grain running into the holds of 
the vessels from long spouts constrvicted at the back of the 
warehouses. 

The teamsters, who necessarily took an important part in 
all this traffic, made use of trucks consisting of two long shafts 
extending from the horse about fifteen feet until the rear ends 
almost touched the ground, so that the hogsheads of molasses 
and rum could be rolled up the incline to the proper bearing 
near the wheels. The arrival of the trains of country produce, 
of a vessel from the West Indies, or of the regular packets 
from Boston, Newburyport, Falmouth, and other ports was the 
occasion of great bustle and excitement at the old Kennebec 
wharves. 

It is difificult now for us to invest these streets and the 
river shores with the activity and enterprise of these prosper- 
ous days ; but we know that location and circumstances 
favored the town, and even the deserted warehouses and grass- 
grown landings of the present day testify to the truth of the 
tales told to us by our fathers. 

It must, therefore, be admitted that, at the opening of the 
nineteenth century, the material prosperity of Hallowell was 



72 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

due to its agricultural, commercial, and maritime interests. 
In the same manner we must admit that the sources of the 
literary and social prominence of the town were its early 
churches, schools, newspapers, publishing houses, libraries, 
lyceums, and other institutions that contributed to the moral 
and intellectual upbuilding of the community. But the funda- 
mental cause of the prosperity and prominence of Hallowell in 
both respects was the character of the people by whom the 
town was first settled. The founders of Hallowell were men 
of education, wealth, public-spirit, and of high moral and social 
standing. The other settlers of all professions and trades, even 
in the humbler walks of life, were an exceptionally excellent 
class of people. They came, many of them, from the best 
families of Barnstable, Essex, and Middlesex counties in 
Massachusetts, and from Exeter, and Dover, and other early 
settled towns of New Hampshire. Taken together, these 
early residents formed a community remarkable for its intelli- 
gence, moral worth, social culture, enterprise, and devotion to 
the welfare of the town. 

In order, therefore, to read the story of Hallowell aright, 
we must first become acquainted with some of the eminent 
founders of the town, and then consider the religious, 
educational, and social institutions which they maintained. 



VII 

THE VAUGHAN FAMILY 

" I desire to live only for my family and mankind." 

— Dr. Benjamin Vaughan. 

^^fcrHE names of Benjamin Vaughan, M. D., LL. D., and 
/'I Charles Vaughan, Esq., must ever stand preeminent 
^F ,< on the list of the founders of the town of Hallowell. 
^"^ Charles Vaughan, Esq., came to Hallowell in 1791; 
Dr. Benjamin Vaughan in 1797; and the two brothers settled 
upon a large estate which they had inherited through their 
mother, Sarah Hallowell Vaughan. 

Dr. Benjamin and Charles Vaughan were English gentle- 
men of education, culture, wealth, and public spirit. They 
came to Hallowell to make a permanent home for themselves 
and their children, and they devoted all their energies and 
resources to the material, social, intellectual, and religious 
upbuilding of the place. To the Vaughans, more than to any 
other one family, Hallowell owes its early commercial pros- 
perity, and the high social, mental, and moral standards that 
were at once established in the town. Their names stand out 
prominently in the records of the church, the schools, the 
libraries, and all public business enterprises. 

A family which constituted so important an element in the 
development of the town should receive ample and grateful 
recognition from the historian's pen ; but words of eulogy are 
quite unnecessary in tracing the influence of a family that, for 
over a hundred years, has identified itself with the interests of 
our community, and that still, at the opening of the twentieth 
century, bears the same comparative relationship to Hallowell 
that it did a hundred years ago. 

The Vaughans are the only family m our midst that 
occupy a house erected by their ancestors prior to the nine- 
teenth century. Theirs is the only home where a collection of 



74 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

household furnishings, books, pictures, and other ancestral 
treasures, brought from England, at this early period, is still 
preserved. Other dwellings of wealth, refinement, and 
influence, established at a later date, still exist in Hallowell; 
but the Vaughan homestead is the only one that has remained 
intact in the same family for four generations, and in which the 
descendants of its first occupants still maintain its earliest 
traditions of hospitality, liberality, delightful social life, and 
devoted attachment to the interests of the ancient town. 

There is much that might be written of the founders, and 
of the successive generations of this family, but no more 
worthy tribute can be paid to their memory than that which 
exists in the simple story of their lives as it has been known to 
our townspeople for a hundred years. To this story is here 
added such data as may be found in the family history, and in 
papers and manuscript letters cordially furnished for these 
pages by the present members of the Vaughan family. 

The Vaughan family was of Welch origin. The ancestors 
of the American branch of the Vaughan family emigrated to 
Ireland where they became extensively engaged in mercantile 
pursuits. The first recorded representative of this family, in 
Ireland, had five children : William, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, 
and Sarah. 

William Vaughan, the oldest child, was born in 1620, and 
died August 19, 1699. He was then of Bally boe, near 
Clonmell, in Tipperary, Ireland ; and is on record as " Mer- 
chant Adventurer for Irish Lands." This William Vaughan 
married Mary Colsay, and had four children of whom the 
youngest, Benjamin, was born April 28, 1679; married, 
November 19, 1700, Ann Wolf; and died February 2, 1741-2. 

Benjamin and Ann Wolf Vaughan had twelve children. 
Our interest to-day centers in the youngest of these children, 
Samuel Fuer, who was born April 23, 1720. After attaining 
his majority, Samuel Fuer Vaughan established himself as a 
merchant in London. He became successful in his business 
pursuits, and engaged in extensive commercial enterprises with 
the West Indies and the American colonies. His business 
interests brought him frequently to New England, and during 




Mrs. Sarah Halloweli. Vaughan 



The Vaughan Family 75 

his occasional visits to Boston he met Miss Sarah Hallowell, 
daughter of Benjamin Hallowell, one of the proprietors of 
the Kennebec purchase, for whom the town Hallowell was 
named. 

Samuel Vaughan and Sarah Hallowell were united in 
marriage, February i, 1747. Their home was in England ; but 
they often made visits to the United States and to Jamaica 
where Mr. Vaughan owned a large plantation. Mrs. Vaughan 
is described as "a lady of great amiability of character, of much 
active kindness and strong common sense." ' She was born 
February 26, 1727, and died in England, in 1809. 

The children of Samuel and Sarah Hallowell Vaughan 
were : 

1. Benjamin, M. D., b. April 19, 1751; m. June 30, 1781, 

Sarah Manning, b. April 20, 1753, d. Dec. 6, 1834. 
Benjamin Vaughan d. Dec. 8, 1836. 

2. William, b. Sept. 22, 1752; d. May 5, 1850. 

3. Samuel, b. April 13, 1754; d. Aug. 1758. 

4. John, b. Jan. 15, 1756; d. Dec. 13, 1842. 

5. Ann, b. Oct. 24, 1757; m. 1784, John Darby, brother of 

General and Admiral Darby; d. Dec. 9, 1847. 

6. Charles, b. June 30, 1759; m. 1794, Frances Western 

Apthorp; d. May 15, 1839. 

7. Sarah, b. Feb. 18, 1761; d. Sept. 29, 1818. 

8. Samuel, b. June 22, 1762; d. Dec. 4, 1802. 

9. Barbara Eddy, b. Nov. 4. 1763. 

10. Rebecca, b. April 26, 1766; m. April 10, 1798, John 

Merrick; d. July 9, 1851. 

11. Hannah, b. March 19, 1768; d. Jan. i, 1770. 

Mr. Samuel Vaughan, through his visits and travels in the 
United States became much interested in our new political 
institutions and form of government. He was a great admirer 
of General Washington ; and in 1787-8, as a token of personal 
esteem, he presented to Washington the superb chimney-piece 
which is now in the great hall at Mount Vernon. 

This chimney-piece was made, by order of Mr. Vaughan, 

' Robert Hallowell Gardiner. Me. Hist. Col. Vol. VI, p. 86. 



76 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

in Italy, of the finest Syenite and Parian marbles. The mantle- 
shelf is supported by two fluted Doric columns. The sculp- 
tures on the three tablets beneath the shelf, represent scenes 
in domestic country life : the farmer and his wife beneath an 
oak tree, with sheep and one huge ox in the foreground; the 
children drawing water from the well ; and a sturdy lad 
standing beside the two farm horses and the plough. The 
hearth in front of the chimney-piece is of white marble inlaid 
with figures of a tasteful conventional design. The fire-place 
beneath the mantle is very large; and has cast its glowing 
light on many a brilliant assemblage in the great hall at Mount 
Vernon. 

A diary containing an account of the journey made by 
Samuel Vaughan on horseback through Pennsylvania, Mary- 
land and Virginia, when he went to visit Washington at Mount 
Vernon is now in the possession of Mr. Benjamin Vaughan, 
of Cambridge, Massachusetts. 



Benjamin Vaughan, the oldest son of Samuel and Sarah 
Hallowell Vaughan, was born April 19, 1751, in Jamaica, 
during one of the visits of his parents to their estate on that 
island. A pleasant glimpse of the boyhood of Benjamin is 
given in the memoir of his brother, William Vaughan. This 
brother became eminent in London through his writings upon 
commercial, naval, and other topics of national importance. 
He was Governor of the Royal Exchange Assurance Corpora- 
ation, and an active member of numerous literary and philan- 
thropic societies both in England and America. Among his 
published works is a brief narrative of his early life and that of 
his brother Benjamin, which is of especial interest to us to-day. 

"My parents," writes William Vaughan, "were desirous 
of giving their children a good and useful education ; and my 
excellent mother paid great attention to their health, religion, 
morals, and temper." Benjamin and his brother William 
were placed at school at the Academy at Warrington, situated 
between Liv^erpool and Manchester, where they " derived many 
advantages from the various lectures on history, literature, and 



The Vaughan Family 77 

general knowledge." . . . "The Academy at Warrington, at 
that period was held in great estimation from the reputation of 
its tutors and the greater field they held out in promoting 
general knowledge and science, in liberal principles, and in 
many other pursuits not to be obtained in common Grammar- 
schools. Dr. Aiken, the divinity tutor, was a man of great 
reputation, and was the parent of Dr. John Aiken and Mrs. 
Barbauld, whose literary works are well known to the public. 
Dr. Priestly was another tutor distinguished for his amiable 
character and kindness of manner as well as for his literary and 
philosophical pursuits, and for his lectures on history." 
Benjamin and William Vaughan had the good fortune to reside 
in the house of Dr. Priestly, and ''derived very great 
advantage from that circumstance." 

"My brother," continues Mr. William Vaughan, "was 
possessed of considerable talents and general knowledge, which 
by perseverance made him conversant with philosophical 
pursuits, and introduced him to the acquaintance of many 
distinguished men. After leaving Warrington he went to 
Cambridge, and thence to the Temple where he studied law, 
and went subsequently to Edinburg where he studied medicine, 
but never practiced either professionally. He was in Parlia- 
ment for some time, and afterwards removed to America, and 
resided many years at Hallowell, in the State of Maine, where 
he continued his literary, scientific, and agricultural pur- 
suits. ... He was well acquainted with Sir Joseph Banks, 
Mr. Cavendish, Dr. Price, Dr. Franklin, Sir Charles Blagden, 
and Dr. Priestly, who, when he published his lectures on 
History, in 1797, dedicated them to his pupil. His friendship 
and connexions with Dr. Franklin were intimate and lasting, 
particularly during the period when my brother was con- 
fidentially employed to promote the negotiation of a peace 
with America." ' 

This outline of the life of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan, from 
the pen of his brother and the comrade of his youth, is a very 
fitting introduction to the life of the maturer man as it was 

' Memoir of IVilliam Vaughan, pp. 4-7. 



78 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

spent in Hallowell. We have now only to fill in the details of 
the picture from the reminiscences of our own ancestors, and 
such printed and manuscript records as are at this time 
available. 

The education of Dr. Vaughan at Cambridge was unique 
from the fact that although he took the prescribed course of 
study, he never matriculated at the university. This was on 
account of Mr. Vaughan's religious views. " Having been 
brought up as a Unitarian, he could not conscientiously sub- 
scribe to the thirty-nine articles required for matriculation. 
He was therefore not admitted to any of the collegiate honors 
but in other respects, had the same advantages as other 
students." 

Soon after leaving Cambridge, Mr. Vaughan became 
private secretary to Lord Shelburne; and it was about this 
time that he met and fell ardently in love with Miss Sarah 
Manning, the beautiful daughter of William Manning, a 
wealthy London merchant. The father of Miss Manning at 
first refused his consent to the marriage of his daughter with 
Mr. Vaughan because the latter had no profession or private 
fortune. Mr. Vaughan therefore left London for Edinburg 
where he studied medicine and obtained the degree of M. D. 
from the university. With this as a pledge for the future. 
Dr. Vaughan secured the hand of Miss Manning in marriage. 
The wedding took place June 30, i/Se ; and, if the father of 
the bride did not bestow upon the lover one half of his king- 
dom — according to the custom in the old fairy tales — he did 
make him a partner in his extensive and lucrative business, at 
Billiter Square. In addition to this, the two fathers, Mr. 
Manning and Mr. Samuel Vaughan, we are told, so generously 
endowed the young couple that they had an independent 
fortune upon which, like the prince and princess in the story- 
book, they continued to live happily all the days of their life. 

The family connections of Mrs. Vaughan brought her in 
contact with many interesting people. Her father, William 
Manning had a large circle of eminent and influential friends ; 
her brother, William Manning, was Governor of the Bank of 
England ; her nephew, Henry Edward Manning, was the 





Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Vaighan 



The Vaughan Family 79 

celebrated Cardinal who seceded from the Church of England 
to the Church of Rome ; one of her sisters married the famous 
South Carolina patriot, John Laurens, who has been called the 
"Bayard of the Revolution." Mrs. Laurens, however, never 
came to America. Her young husband, who had been 
educated in England, returned to his own country and entered 
the army. He was the American Commissioner to Paris in 
1781 ; and soon after his successful negotiation of the French 
loan, resumed his position in the Revolutionary ranks. He 
was killed in the battle of Combahee ; and in that unfortunate 
skirmish America lost one of her noblest patriots and most 
valiant sons. Washington said of Laurens : " He had not a 
fault that I could discover unless it were an intrepidity border- 
ing on rashness." 

Other American friends of the Mannmgs were Henry 
Laurens, the father of John Laurens, Benjamin Franklin, and 
Archbishop Chevenes, with all of whom the Vaughans were 
closely associated. It will thus be seen that while Mrs. 
Benjamin Vaughan was allied by family ties to all that was 
best in English life, she had, at the same time, become familiar, 
through the American friends of her family, with the spirit of 
American life; and when Dr. Vaughan decided to come to New 
England for a permanent residence, she bravely set out with 
her family for their new home on the banks of the Kennebec. 

The political career of Dr. Vaughan in England and 
France, is a matter of history, and yet very few of our people 
of the present generation understand the important service 
rendered by Dr. Vaughan in the establishment of peace 
between our own country and Great Britain, at the close of the 
Revolution. This is a story that should be indelibly engraven 
upon the records of a town that proudly claims Benjamin 
Vaughan as the most eminent of its founders. 

At the close of the Revolution, Dr. Vaughan was the 
personal friend of the American patriots, Henry and John 
Laurens, of John Jay and Benjamin Franklin, our peace commis- 
sioners at Paris in 1782, and also of Lord Shelburne, the prime 
minister of England, under whom he had formerly served as 
secretary. It therefore happened that, at the request of Lord 



8o Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Shelburne, Dr. Vaughan went to Paris to consult with 
Franklin and Jay in regard to peace negotiations, and spent a 
whole year engaged in this mission. England at this critical 
period was insisting on treating with our country as colonies, 
while Jay declared that peace could not be made until the 
colonies were recognized in the treaty as the United States of 
America. No progress was therefore made in the negotiations 
until Dr. Vaughan returned to England and by his personal 
efforts convinced Lord Shelburne of the necessity of accepting 
the terms proposed by the American commissioners. The 
treaty was then completed; and Dr. Vaughan, at Lord 
Shelburne's request, again set out for Paris, taking with him 
the royal messenger who bore the new commission recognizing 
in its wording the independence of the United States of 
America. Our country therefore owes to Dr. Benjamin 
Vaughan a perpetual debt of gratitude. 

From 1783 to 1794, Dr. Vaughan resided in London, and 
while engaged in active business also carried on his political 
and scientific studies. He was closely associated with many 
eminent men of the time, and frequently entertained in his own 
home such men as Jeremy Bentham, Sheridan, Sir Samuel 
Romilly, Grey, Wilberforce, M. de Narbonne, and the Bishop 
of Autun. In 1792, he was returned to Parliament where he 
remained nearly two years. 

The political position of Dr. Vaughan has been very plainly 
and authoritatively stated in a sketch in the American Encyclo- 
pedia of Biography . From this article we learn that Dr. 
Vaughan was " opposed to any attempt to disturb the existing 
form of government in his own country, but as the French 
Revolution developed, the popular tide in England set strongly 
against those men who had shown sympathy with its earlier 
stages, and more rigorous laws were demanded against those 
suspected of sympathy with what were called Revolutionary 
ideas. Vaughan, from his place in parliament was well known 
to Pitt as one of the active opponents of his administration. 
Under these circumstances he decided to leave England for 
the continent until times had become settled, and accordingly 
in 1794, he went to France and afterwards to Switzerland. 




Dr. Benjamin Vaughan 



The Vaughan Family 8i 

While in France he was several times suspected of being an 
English spy, and was obliged to live in close retirement. In 
Switzerland he devoted himself to political correspondence and 
literary pursuits. He was assured by Pitt that he could at any 
time return to England with safety, but he had become so 
much interested in republican principles that he determined to 
live in the United States." 



It was but natural, at this crisis, that the thoughts of 
Dr. Vaughan should turn to the Kennebec Valley as the place 
for an ideal home. His mother had inherited large estates in 
Hallowell; his brother Charles had already made a home 
in this promising new country; and to this favored spot 
Dr. Vaughan determined to remove with his family and live 
according to his own ideas of republican simplicity. 

The family of Dr. Vaughan was at this time unable to 
meet him in Paris on account of the war between France and 
England. His wife and children therefore sailed for America 
under the charge of Mr. John Merrick, a young Englishman, 
at that time a tutor in Dr. Vaughan's family. On their arrival 
at Boston, they were received by Mr. Charles Vaughan and 
taken to Little Cambridge, now Brighton, where, eighteen 
months later, they were joined by Dr. Vaughan and soon after 
removed to their estate at Hallowell on the Kennebec. 

The importance of the advent of the Vaughan family in 
Hallowell has been previously stated. We already know 
something of its effect upon the life and welfare of the early 
settlers of the town; but there is another side to this old story; 
and v/e wonder to-day what were the feelings of this cultivated 
English gentleman and his fair and delicately bred young wife 
as they first set their feet within the wilderness of Maine, and 
how they were impressed by their new neighbors and their 
strange surroundings. 

Fortunately a commodious and comfortable home had 
been provided for the members of Dr. Vaughan's family some 
time before their arrival. For several years previous to 1797, 
Mr. Charles Vaughan had been engaged in clearing and culti- 



82 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

vating the land, and had erected the mansion house that still 
stands upon the Vaughan estate. In this new home Dr. 
Vaughan established his household. 

We can now easily fancy the weariness and discomforts of 
a journey in those days from Boston to the Kennebec. A 
sailing vessel brought the family to Merrymeeting Bay ; then 
Mr. Merrick and the children continued their journey by water 
to Gardinerstown, from which place they reached Hallowell 
by a foot-path through the forest. The oldest daughter being 
an invalid was carried on a litter and thus had her first glimpse 
of the autumnal glory of the woods of Maine. In the mean- 
time Dr. and Mrs. Vaughan undertook to drive over the rude 
forest road leading through Winthrop to Hallowell; and there 
is nothing which brings us quite so closely in touch with the 
brave little English lady on her way to her new home as a few 
sentences written by her husband descriptive of their journey. 

In one of the old family letters placed at my disposal I find 
this paragraph written by Dr. Vaughan to his brother, in 
September, 1797: 

" Five days in this equinoctial season would have furnished light 
enough to finishing our journey, but as it vpas we slept at Winthrop instead 
of breakfasting there. The lady's terrors were the cause, though she 
behaved with courage on most occasions, and in particular by trusting 
herself to me. The horse and chaise deserves commemoration also ; 
though the former coughed now and then, and fell once or twice lame, 
but I hope not permanently. . . . Had the lady shown her courage by 
travelling all night, and suffered her hvisband to break her neck and his 
own, she would have escaped reproaches and perhaps been commemo- 
rated for a great fool." 

We thus perceive that the Lady of the Perilous Journey 
was wise as well as witty ; and that, since her courage had been 
sufficiently tested, she did not propose to perish in the forest 
within one day's distance of the desired haven. We can also 
easily fancy the pleasure with which "the lady" alighted from 
the uncomfortable old chaise at the door of her new home and 
gazed for the first time upon the beautiful Kennebec set 
between its banks of gorgeous coloring on that September day 
of the year 1797. 

The home to which Dr. Vaughan had brought his family 




Mrs. Sarah Manning Vaughan 



The Vanghan Family 83 

was really a palatial residence for the place and period. The 
house was a large, square, two-story edifice, with a long 
veranda on the southern side, and a spacious wing extending 
to the north. It stood on an eminence commanding a fine 
view of the river, and was surrounded by groups of great oaks, 
and pines, and other ancient trees. Beyond was the unbroken 
forest; and yet visions of smooth lawns, green-houses, and 
fruitful gardens immediately arose in the minds of the new 
possessors of this domain; and these visions were speedily 
realized. 

Very soon after his arrival, Dr. Vaughan writes to his 
brother of his plan to bring water to the house "by means of 
pipes coming from a reservoir to be made at the spring-house;" 
of a winding avenue for carriages from the main road to the 
house; of a garden "having a terrace to divide it into an upper 
and lower part, or into a vegetable and fruit part;" and in the 
same letter. Dr. Vaughan orders "several thousand slips of 
white currant trees" for this garden. All of these improve- 
ments were soon made, and the Vaughan garden became the 
wonder and admiration of the whole neighborhood. 

A description of the view from this garden written by one 
who was familiar with the place not many years after the 
coming of Dr. Vaughan, will bring the scene very vividly to our 
sight : 

"The Vaughan garden lay in the midst of a landscape of 
surpassing beauty. It rose gradually from the entrance gate 
near the house, until in ascending the walk you found yourself 
on the height of a declivity at the verge of tall woods in a 
summerhouse; from this airy resting place there was a magnifi- 
cent view of the village, distant hills, and the gentle waters of 
the Kennebec. . . . Near the spot were mowing-fields, and 
pastures with cattle grazing, and some shady oaks yet spared 
by the Goths in their clearings. . . . Behind the summer- 
house loomed up a steep mountain deeply wooded, and between 
them was a precipitous ravine or narrow glen through which a 
powerful stream ran headlong from ledge to ledge, beneath 
dark shadows of tall trees, until it leaped down like a miniature 
cataract and formed a pretty basin where we sometimes caught 



84 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

a trout or two. . . . This remarkable waterfall was called the 
'Cascade,' accessible by a winding path down the steep, and its 
murmur could be heard from the summerhouse in the stillness 
of the evening." ' 

The interior of the Vaughan house was arranged in a 
manner that must have seemed luxurious to the residents of 
Hallowell at this early period; for, as Dr. Vaughan writes, "an 
English family cannot easily submit to the privations of ancient 
comforts in cases where the continuance of them is easily to be 
managed." The rooms were spacious and sunshiny; and in 
one of the front parlors, the windows had been cut down to the 
floor, in order to give a better view of the river. Dr. Vaughan, 
in one of his letters to his brother expresses regret that this has 
been done, on account of the coldness of the Maine climate in 
winter; but Mrs. Vaughan interpolates an "N. B." saying "/ 
am much obliged by the attention." 

Each of the rooms had a large fire-place, and the great 
blazing wood fires kept the whole house aglow with light and 
warmth. These fire-places are now bordered with quaint 
Dutch tiles whose pictures tell many curious tales to the guests 
who sit around the hearthstones in the old Vaughan mansion. 

The furnishings of the house were brought from England; 
and the high-posted, canopied bedsteads, the huge, carved 
clothes-presses and chests of drawers, the antique mirrors and 
quaint silver candle-sticks, the inlaid writing-desks, the ancient 
chairs, tables, and sideboard, and the tall ancestral clock, all 
stand as they were first placed in this old home. 

In the dining-room is the antique samovar of ebony, with 
silver mountings, in which the water was made to boil by 
plunging into it a bar of red-hot iron. In the cabinets are the 
rare old cups and saucers in which the lady of the mansion 
served the fragrant tea to the ever welcome guest ; and on the 
sideboard is a case of rosewood, ornamented with silver, that 
contains a curious set of knives and forks of steel, with handles 
of white and blue porcelain. 

It is said that when Dr. Vaughan came to Hallowell he 

' John H. Sheppard, N. E. Gen. Reg. Vol. XIX, p. 350, 



The Vaughn n Family 85 

left nearly all of the family silver to be sold in London, think- 
ing that if he used it in America it would encourage extrava- 
gant ideas of living in this new country. He brought with him, 
however, a collection of rare old china and sets of Wedgewood 
and blue Canton ware. One beautiful set of china bearing the 
Vaughan monogram and also some of the Vaughan silver 
inherited by Mrs. Lucy Vaughan Emmons, were destroyed by 
fire when the Emmons house was burned. 

Still more interesting and valuable are the family portraits 
which now hang on the walls of the Vaughan mansion. In 
one of the parlors there is a fine portrait of Samuel Vaughan, 
father of Dr. Benjamin; and in the octagon room there is a 
large picture of the Vaughan family, painted in London in 
1754. It represents Mrs. Sarah Hallowell Vaughan, as a 
central figure, holding her son Samuel in her lap, with 
Benjamin at her side, and little William on the floor playing 
with a dog. Mr. Samuel Vaughan stands in a graceful and 
dignified attitude at the left. 

Other valuable pictures are the portraits of the celebrated 
Dr. Priestly and his wife, and of William Manning, Governor 
of the Bank of London. Most interesting and delightful of 
all, are the faces of Dr. Benjamin and Mrs. Vaughan which 
still look down upon us from their frames with an expression 
of cordial, old-time hospitality. 

Mrs. Vaughan is said by one who knew her to have been 
*'a very handsome, elegant, and accomplished lady;" • and the 
portrait representing her in her more advanced years, shows a 
beautiful sweet-faced woman, wearing a cap and kerchief of 
filmy lace. 

Another personal souvenir of Mrs. Benjamin Vaughan is 
the pair of "pattens," or wooden shoes, having two bridge-like 
pieces of wood to lift them from the ground, and straps of 
black velvet to fasten them over the foot. These the little 
lady undoubtedly wore in damp weather when she went to call 
on her daughter, Mrs. Emmons, or her sister-in-law, Mrs. 
Merrick, at the old Merrick homestead. 

' Hon. John H. Sheppard. 



36 Old Hallozvell on the Kennebec 

Other quaint and curious things which the Vaughans 
brought from England were the two sun dials which for more 
than\ century have marked the passing hours; and the oval 
shaped door-plate marked "B. Vaughan," which once had a 
place at the entrance of their London home; and a writmg- 
desk, painted with flowers by the hand of Mrs. John Laurens, 
the sister of Mrs. Vaughan. 

Most notable of all is the library of Dr. Vaughan which, at 
the time of his coming to Hallowell, was the largest collection 
of books in New England, with the exception of that of 
Harvard College. This library contained over ten thousand 
volumes, and included works on history, science, philosophy, 
and literature. Many of the books are still kept at the 
Vaughan homestead. The medical works, which were very 
rare and valuable, were bequeathed to the Insane Hospital at 
Augusta; other books were donated to Bowdoin college; but 
the greater part of the library is now in the possession of 
Dr. Vaughan's descendants in Cambridge and Boston. 

Dr. Vaughan was himself a most scholarly and learned 
man. It has been said of him that " his knowledge was always 
at command and no subject could be introduced into conversa- 
tion upon which he would not give additional information. 
From this very extensive knowledge and ready power of 
producing it, he has been called a walking encyclopedia." ' 

But Dr. Vaughan was not only learned in the works of 
others; he was himself a thinker and writer. He was the 
author of numerous political, philosophical, and scientific 
papers, and of several historical treatises which he wrote at 
the special request of President Adams. His most important 
work was entitled "The Rural Socrates;" and was an account 
of a celebrated philosophical farmer living in Switzerland and 
known by the name of Kilyogg. The book bears the imprint 
of Peter Edes of Hallowell, A. D. 1800. Mr. Vaughan also 
collected and published "The Political, Miscellaneous, and 
Philosophical Essays of Dr. Benjamin Franklin;" and edited a 
memoir of Dr. Franklin. 

' Robert Hallowell Gardiner. 



The Vaugkan Family 87 

Dr. Vaughan was one of the founders of the Maine 
Historical Society and was a member of numerous literary 
and scientific societies, both in this country and Europe. The 
degree of LL. D. was bestowed upon him by Harvard College 
in 1 80 1, and by Bowdoin College, in 181 2. 

Although educated for the profession of medicine, Dr. 
Vaughan did not practice as a regular physician, but was con- 
stantly called upon to consult with other doctors in serious 
cases. He always gave his advice and services gratuitously. 
He visited the poor without charge, and furnished them not 
only with medicines, but often with nourishing food, and with 
fruit and other delicacies from his garden. 

In the year 1811, the terrible epidemic known as the 
"spotted fever" prevailed in New England. Hallowell did 
not escape the dread disease; and during its prevalance here. 
Dr. Vaughan used his utmost efforts to check its progress, and 
save the lives of the people. At one time, when Dr. Page, the 
eminent and successful physician of Hallowell, was summoned 
to aid the suffering inhabitants of Wiscasset, Dr. Vaughan 
voluntarily assumed the care of the numerous cases of spotted 
fever in Hallowell, until the return of Dr. Page. 

Many stories of the benevolences, generosity, and neigh- 
borly kindness of Dr. Vaughan have come down to us in the 
tales of the "good old times" which our grandparents have 
told us; but I can give no more fitting ending to this sketch of 
the early benefactor of Hallowell than the tribute of Mr. John 
H. Sheppard who writes from his own knowledge and memory 
of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan: 

"The influence a man of fortune, learning, and piety 
may exert in a country village is incalculable. . . . Such a man 
was the 'magnate of the place.' Every man, woman, and 
child looked up to him, as it were, to a superior being. To him 
strangers sought an introduction. His door was ever open to 
hospitahty. In short, he was the Genius Loci, the spirit of the 
spot. It was eminently so in Hallowell during Dr. Vaughan's 
life. In religion, education, gardening, agriculture, and love of 
readmg, he gave a healthy tone to society. Ever sociable 
meek, yet dignified in his address, willing to impart his exten- 



88 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

sive knowledge to others, and at all times ready to visit the 
sick and relieve the poor and needy, he was greatly beloved. 
His life is a striking instance that every town and village must 
have a head to look up to, some man of moral power and influ- 
ence, like a sun shining on the top of a mountain, radiating its 
beams in every direction, and leading the thoughts heavenward 
by his good works. Dr. Vaughan was not tall, yet he was of 
medium height; in body well-proportioned and full; of an 
elegant form; his hair had early turned into the white locks of 
age; his eye was of a dark blue, clear and mild; his nose 
aquiline; each feature strongly marked, and expressive; and 
when he smiled, it drew all hearts towards him, for it was the 
reflection of the goodness within. He dressed in the dignified 
costume of the Old School, and was particularly neat in his 
apparel. He rode a horse remarkably well, and from his easy 
and graceful motions he must have been a graceful dancer in 
his youth. He wrote a peculiar hand and with great rapidity, 
and composed with fluency and readiness. He carried on a 
vast correspondence with friends in this country and abroad, 
and at home he always seemed reading or writing. In the 
winter evenings you would find him at a small writing table by 
the side of a sparkling wood fire, busily employed like Prospero 
in the kingdom of his books, unless called off by some 
stranger; while his charming family entertained their usual 
company with whom he would often mingle in conversation. 
His very presence gave to the domestic circle that indescribable 
charm, which like a halo surrounds a person of talents and 
profound learning. 

"The close of Dr. Vaughan's life was at the golden age of 
eighty-five. He had scarcely ever known sickness, nor were 
the powers of his mind impaired. Always master of himself, 
he preserved his cheerfulness to the last. So calm, so serene, 
so simple in his habits, so unselfish, so delicate in his own 
feelings and considerate of the feelings of others, a worshiper 
of God without ostentation in his family, and ever ready to do 
good to his neighbor, this Christian Philosopher was not only 
one of the best of citizens, but I must say, the happiest man I 
ever saw. It seemed as though that divine passage of St. 



The Vaughan Family 89 

Paul was always present to his mind: 'Finally, brethren, 
whatsoever things are honest, w^hatsoever things are just, what- 
soever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatso- 
ever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there 
be any praise, think on these things.' And he did think on 
these things. They were the cardinal points of the compass 
which regulated his voyage of life, and at the end I doubt not 
he viewed death as a kind messenger from above." ' 

Dr. Benjamin Vaughan died December 8, 1836, and was 
interred in the family burial ground on the Vaughan estate in 
Hallo well. 



Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Vaughan had a family of seven 
children. These children were all educated in the Vaughan 
home where they had great advantages from constant inter- 
course with refined society and from the instruction of accomp- 
lished and learned teachers. The first of these teachers was 
the scholarly John Merrick; the second was George Barron, 
said to be "an adept in the exact sciences;" and the third 
was William Wells, a Cambridge graduate of ripe scholarship. 
The teacher of French and dancing was Monsieur Lebell of 
Paris. This highly educated and cultured Frenchman was also 
an excellent violinist. Mr. Sheppard said of him: "I never 
heard anyone, save Ole Bull, draw a softer, sweeter bow on the 
violin." Under the tuition of Monsieur Lebell, Mr. Vaughan's 
children all became fine French scholars. Sarah, the third 
daughter, had exceptional talent for drawing and painting, 
especially of birds and flowers, and assisted Audubon in color- 
ing the illustrations of his famous book on birds. Lucy, a 
younger daughter, was skillful in drawing wdth crayons. 

The subsequent life-story of this family of favored and 
gifted children is of much interest to us to-day, but must here 
be briefly told. Harriet Manning, the oldest daughter, born 
November 11, 1782, was an invalid, with an affection of the 
spine. Her death, in early girlhood, December 15, 1798, at the 

' Collections. Mass. Hist. Sac, Vol. XIX, p. 354. 



90 Old Hallotvell on the Kennebec 

age of sixteen, was the first great grief that came to the 
Vaughan family in their new home on the Kennebec. WiUiam 
Ohver, born November 5, 1783, became an enterprising 
merchant and ship-owner, and a pubUc-spirited and influential 
citizen. Through him, the name and estate of the Vaughan 
family have been perpetuated in Hallowell. 

Miss Sarah Vaughan, born February 28, 1784, is described 
as "a lady of small but graceful form and of highly cultivated 
mind." Like her mother, she was most charitable, and greatly 
interested in the care of the poor and sick in Hallowell. It is 
related that, on one occasion, she went to visit a very worthy 
woman who had seen better days, but who was then living in 
great destitution. Miss Sarah inquired what was most needed 
at that time, and was somewhat surprised when the destitute 
woman replied that she wished some one would bring her a 
French dictionary as she did not wish "to lose her accent." 

Miss Sarah Vaughan died March 25, 1847, while on a visit 
to Boston, and was buried under Trinity Church. 

Henry Vaughan was a young man "of promising talents 
and manly figure." His engaging disposition and tender 
thoughtfulness for his mother's feeling, are disclosed in the fol- 
lowing letter which he wrote at Cambridge on the eve of 
his departure for a visit to England in 1801 : 

"You wished to know how we were, I am sorry to hear that you 
were uneasy about me, for I had only a headache, from being roused up 
at that time of night, but I was perfectly well for when we got down to 
Merrymeeting bay I walked from there to Bath without any inconven- 
ience thoiigh the road went a great wa}' round and it was a very hot 
day ; I walked there in an hour and a half; to convince you that I had 
not lost my appetite I tell that every morning and evening I had a 
quart of thick chocolate and bread and ham in proportion three times a 
day when the doctor allowed it. After hearing this I trust you will 
not make yourself uneasy. We go into town to-night and from there 
tomorrow or next day therefore most probably will not hear from us 
again on this side of the water." 

To his father, Henry writes that they are going to Liver- 
pool in the ship Eliza, "a new vessel that has never been out 
to sea." He adds as a bit of news: "I have seen Mr, Wells 
several times he keeps a school in Boston he has left off his 



The Vaughan Family gi 

black coat." This is evidently a reference to Mr. William 
Wells, previously a tutor in the Vaughan family. 

Henry Vaughan had a fortunate passage on the new ship 
Eliza, and returned in safety from his voyage to England. A 
brilliant and happy future was anticipated for this noble and 
promising young man. It is therefore sad to record the 
melancholy and untimely fate that awaited him. Only a few 
years after his return from London, he made another trip, with 
his elder brother, William Oliver, on a trading vessel to the 
West Indies, and on the homeward voyage was washed over- 
board and drowned, April 14, 1806. 

Petty Vaughan, born October i, 1783, was named for his 
father's friend, Henry Petty, Earl of Shelburne and Prime 
Minister of England. In his youth. Petty Vaughan was sent 
to London to become associated in business with his uncle 
William Vaughan, with whose interests he was afterwards 
closely identified. He was a member of the American 
Philosophical. Society, and connected with prominent com- 
mercial and philanthropic organizations in England. He died, 
unmarried, in London, July 30, 1854. 

Lucy Vaughan, born November 4, 1790, married Judge 
Williams Emmons, and resided in Hallowell where she was 
greatly beloved and respected. She died March 18, 1869. 

Elizabeth Frances, born June 6, 1793, married Samuel 
Grant, a wealthy merchant of Gardiner, and died June 12, 1855, 
Her oldest daughter, Ellen Grant, married Hon. John Otis of 
Hallowell; her youngest daughter, Louisa Lithgow Grant, 
married, November 19, 1850, Hon. Alfred Gilmore. Their 
children are: Alfred, Frances Vaughan, Clinton Grant, and 
Louisa Lithgow. 

Colonel William Oliver Vaughan, oldest son of Dr. 
Benjamin Vaughan, married, September 14, 1806, Martha, 
daughter of Captain Thomas Agry, and resided in Hallowell 
until his death, August 15, 1825. He was actively engaged in 
shipping, and in commercial and agricultural pursuits. He 
always manifested a sincere interest in the welfare of the town, 
and exerted his utmost influence for its prosperity. During 
his business career, he engaged extensively in the West India 



92 Old Hallozvell on the Ke/mebec 

trade, and owned two brigs and the ship Superior. These 
vessels were sent out laden with lumber and oak staves, and 
brought back in return, sugar, molasses, and other commodities 
for sale on the Kennebec. 

Colonel Vaughan also had the care and management of 
Vaughan farm with the exception of the orchards and gardens 
which were under the charge of a professional English 
gardener. He purchased the grist mill built by his uncle 
Charles Vaughan, and manufactured flour of a quality superior 
to any other made in this section of the country. He was also 
concerned in the importation of cattle of superior breeds ; and, 
in connection with Mr. Charles Vaughan, did much for the 
improvement of stock raised by the farmers of the town and 
county. 

As commander of a regiment of militia, in the days when 
the military spirit was at its height, Colonel Vaughan attained 
much distinction. He first served as Captain of the "South 
Company" of Hallo well; and in the fall of 1814, when the 
troops were all called out to go to Wiscasset to prevent the 
landing of the British troops from the gunship La Hogue, then 
threatening the coast, his company was pronounced the finest 
and best drilled in the state. Its ranks were always full; and 
every man had his scrupulously white belt crossed in Revolu- 
tionary style, thus giving the company an appearance easily 
distinguishable from others on the field. On muster days the 
company always dined at the expense of the captain. 

Colonel Vaughan's military ardor and devotion to his men 
continued to increase after he was placed at the head of the 
regiment. One of our most esteemed local historians, who 
remembers the famous old training days, tells us that 
Colonel Vaughan infused new life into the ranks; that he 
provided a splendid band of music for the regiment, and an 
elegant marquee for the entertainment of the officers and their 
guests. Colonel Vaughan, in character and bearing, was an 
ideal exponent of the military spirit of his time. Even after 
his health failed and he was obliged to resign his command, 
his interest in his regiment continued unabated. "When he 
had become so feeble as only to be able to ride out on pleasant 



The Vaughaji Family 93 

days, on the occasion of a regimental muster he was seen to 
ride slowly the whole length of the line on Second street, as if 
to take a last look upon his men. The sadness of his counte- 
nance betokened the deep feeling he had at the thought that he 
was looking upon them for the last time." 

Colonel William Oliver Vaughan died August 15, 1825; his 
wife, Martha Agry Vaughan, died March, 1856. Of the nine 
children of Colonel Vaughan, six died in early life. The oldest 
daughter, Harriet Frances was the first wife of Hon. John 
Otis; the youngest daughter, Caroline, married Frederic, son 
of Robert Hallowell Gardiner. 

William Manning Vaughan, the oldest son of Colonel 
William Oliver Vaughan, was born at Hallowell, June 10, 1807. 
He fitted for college at Dr. Packard's school at Wiscasset, and 
entered Bowdoin with the class of 1827. In his senior year, 
Mr. Vaughan was obliged to leave college on account of the 
death of his father; and soon after went on a three years' 
cruise, as supercargo on a vessel, to the East and West Indies. 
After returning to Hallowell, he married Miss Anne Warren, 
daughter of Hon. Ebenezer Warren, and made his home for a 
time in the cottage on the Vaughan estate. He was, for some 
years, cashier of the Hallowell Bank; and afterwards was 
connected with Robert Hallowell Gardiner in the flouring mill 
business. In 1854, he established himself in business in 
Boston and made a permanent home in Cambridge. After 
retiring from active business life, Mr. Vaughan became 
engaged in philanthropic work, and founded the Cambridge 
Social Union of which he was the honored president for many 
years. Like his father and grandfather, Mr. William Manning 
Vaughan was a loyal friend and generous benefactor of his 
native town. Here, as in the city of his adoption, he was 
honored and beloved; and on his death, in 1891, he left many 
to mourn the loss of a true friend and of a public-spirited and 
philanthropic fellow-citizen. 

Mrs. William Manning Vaughan was, in her girlhood, the 
little "Miss Anne Warren" for whom the "splendid ball" was 
given in the old Warren mansion in Hallowell. Born and bred 
in the spirit of the old-time social life of her native town, she 



94 Old Hallowell on the Kemiebec 

was eminently fitted to become the mistress of the Vaughan 
home in Cambridge where, for so many years, she dispensed a 
most gracious hospitahty. 

The children of William Manning and Anne Warren 
Vaughan are Benjamin and William Warren Vaughan. 

Mr. Benjamin Vaughan married Anna Goodwin, daughter 
of Daniel Raynes Goodwin, D. D., of Philadelphia. They have 
two children. Bertha Hallowell Vaughan and Henry Goodwin 
Vaughan. Mr. William Warren Vaughan married Ellen 
Twistleton Parkman, daughter of Dr. Samuel and Mary 
Dwight Parkman of Boston. The children of this marriage 
are Mary Eliot Vaughan and Samuel Vaughan. 



Much that has been written of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan, is 
equally applicable to his brother Charles Vaughan, Esq., in 
whom we find a typical English gentleman, of courteous 
address, extensive reading, benevolent disposition, and com- 
mendable public spirit. But while Dr. Benjamin Vaughan may 
be especially characterized as a student and philosopher, 
Charles Vaughan was preeminently a man of action with 
indomitable energy and large capacity for business affairs. 
He came to Hallowell as early as 1791, and "formed magnifi- 
cent plans to make that town, then only a small village, the 
head of navigation and commerce for the Kennebec." 

No one who has traced the early growth and prosperity of 
Hallowell can fail to discern the direct influence of Charles 
Vaughan, and the results of his energetic and enthusiastic 
business efforts. The very fact of his coming to Hallowell 
gave a quick and healthy stimulus to the town. It is stated 
by Mr. William Allen, the Norridgewock historian, that "when 
it became known that the Vaughans were to settle here, high 
expectations were excited throughout the country even to the 
extreme settlements on the Sandy river. . . . Men of 
influence from the best towns, far and near, ship-builders, 
ship-owners, merchants, and traders, men of all professions, 
skillful mechanics, and industrious workmen, came in throngs 
to the place, some to erect buildings and engage in trade and 




Charles Vaughan, Esq. 



The Vaughan Family 95 

navigation and some to find employment. The place increased 
rapidly in wealth and numbers." 

"Mr. Vaughan," writes Mr. Allen, "built the wharf at the 
Hook, and a store and warehouses, and a brewery, with the 
hope that beer might be used nistead of ardent spirits, and 
improve the habits of the intemperate, but he failed to accom- 
plish his object. He employed a great number of men, built 
work shops and dwelling houses for the accommodation of his 
workmen, built a house and barn and put in order a farm for 
his homestead, a pleasant situation half a mile back, cleared up 
a large farm two miles back from the river, stocked it with the 
best breeds of animals, importing some from England which 
were highly recommended in English publications, . . . pro- 
cured a skilful English farmer to take the oversight of his 
farm, Samuel Stantial, who planted an orchard of choice fruit, 
made a fine garden, and kept everything in the neatest order, 
exceeding anything I had ever seen before, when I visited him 
in 1807. His English cherry trees were just beginning to bear 
and look beautifully. We saw a large box of scions v/hich the 
day before had been received after a two month's passage from 
Liverpool. . . . Mr. Vaughan spared no expense to promote 
the agricultural interests of the country; did more than any 
other individual, before any agricultural society was formed in 
the state, to improve the breed of stock and swine and to 
furnish scions to improve our orchards. The farmers not only 
in Hallowell, Winthrop, and Readfield, were greatly benefitted 
by his efforts but some at a distance of fifty miles where I have 
seen the best stock and swine and the best apples to be found 
in the state, as a result of his efforts." ' 

Mr. Vaughan was also actively and keenly interested in all 
the educational and religious movements of the town. He was 
one of the founders and trustees of the Hallowell Academy and 
did much to establish and promote the success of that institu- 
tion. He was a generous supporter of the Old South church 
and a constant attendant at its services. It has been fittingly 
said that "it was his greatest desire to do good, and never v/as 
he more happy than when he conferred happiness upon others." 

' Col. Me. Hist. Soc. Vol. VIII, p. 278. 



96 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

Mr. Charles Vaughan married, in 1774, Frances Western 
Apthorp, daughter of John Apthorp of Boston. Mrs. Vaughan 
was a very beautiful woman with rare qualities of mind and 
character. In her girlhood she had enjoyed unusual educational 
and social advantages in her home-life and in travel with other 
members of the Apthorp family. She was the sister of Hannah 
Apthorp, wife of Charles Bulfinch, the eminent architect, and 
mother of Thomas Bulfinch, author of The Age of Fable. A 
charming description of the early life of Frances and Hannah 
Apthorp in their Boston home, and of their journey to Phila- 
delphia to witness the inauguration of Washington is given 
by Miss Ellen Susan Bulfinch in her Life and Letters of 
Charles Bulfinch, Architect. 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Vaughan resided for a while in the 
old mill house near the Vaughan stream. It was there that 
they entertained Talleyrand and the young Frenchman who 
was supposed to be Louis Philippe, afterwards King of France. 

A few years later Mr. Vaughan erected the house on the 
Vaughan road, now the home of the French family. This 
house, as originally built by Mr. Vaughan, was an attractive 
story and a half cottage, of ample dimensions and very 
spacious on the ground floor. Although the house has been 
remodeled, it still retains its broad stone hearths, its old- 
time mantle-pieces, quaint cup-boards, and other features of its 
original design. 

This house was always the abode of good cheer and genuine 
hospitality. The influence of the refined, simple, and idyllic 
home life that went on for many years within its walls, was 
felt throughout a large circle of friends and neighbors. In 
simplicity, in courtesy, in kindly cheer, and in the unaffected 
enjoyment of music, art, and literature as daily elements of 
life, the inmates of the Vaughan home set an example that 
gave an ideal tone to society in Hallowell. 

The children of Charles and Frances Apthorp Vaughan 
were: 

I. John Apthorp, b. October 13, 1795; m. August 22, 1826, 
Harriet Merrick; d. June 5, 1865. 




Mrs. Frances Apthorp Vaughan 



The Vaughan Family 97 

2. Harriet, b. April 15, 1802; m. May 18, 1828, Rev. Jacob 

Abbott; d. September 11, 1843. 

3. Charles, b. November i, 1804; m. July 19, 1832, Mary 

Susan Abbot; d. February 6, 1878. 

4. Hannah Frances, b. January 20, 181 2; m. 1836, Rev. 

Seth Sweetser; d. May 10, 1855. 

The Rev. John Apthorp Vaughan, son of Charles and 
Frances Apthorp Vaughan, was a worthy representative of this 
eminent family. He graduated at Bowdoin College in 181 5, 
and later in life received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from 
Columbia College. In his early manhood he was the beloved 
and revered teacher of the Female Academy in Hallo well. 
He subsequently took orders in the Episcopal Church. On 
his death in Philadelphia in 1865, The Episcopal Recorder 
closed a tribute to his memory in these words : "To this holy 
man the Church of the Mediator owes a large debt of gratitude. 
He was the friend, father, and benefactor of it. He was a 
generous, self-denying soldier of the Cross, the first rector of 
that church, and much lamented at his death." 

Mr. Charles Vaughan, the second son of Charles and 
Frances Apthorp Vaughan, perpetuated the traditions and 
customs of his father's family, and cherished through life 
a warm regard for the home of his childhood. He was 
one of the earliest and most liberal benefactors of the 
Social Library, and was interested in all that promoted the 
welfare of his native town. Pleasant and grateful memories of 
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Vaughan will long be preserved in 
Hallowell. 



The Vaughan family is now represented in Hallowell by 
the two brothers, Benjamin and William Warren Vaughan, who 
are the lineal descendants of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan and the 
present owners of the Vaughan estate. During the summer 
season the families of Benjamin and William Vaughan occupy 
the old mansion house upon the Vaughan estate, and maintain 
an ideal hospitality in the same spirit in which it was established 
by their ancestors a hundred years ago. 



g8 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Of the devoted attachment of the Vaughan family to the 
old town and of their continued interest in its welfare, it is not 
necessary to speak. There are visible evidences of this in their 
numerous and generous public benefactions. The library has 
many generous bequests from their hands. The granite 
drinking fountains at the northern and southern ends of the 
business street are the expression of their thoughtful benefi- 
cence; and the massive granite bridge upon the Vaughan road, 
which was presented to the city of Hallowell, in 1905, by 
Benjamin and William Warren Vaughan in remembrance of 
their father, William Manning Vaughan, will remain for untold 
generations a monument, in enduring stone, to the loyalty and 
munificence of the House of Vaughan. 



t:^ r 




VIII 
JOHN MERRICK, ESQ. 

" His was a noble mind, a noble heart, and a noble life. His faults 
were few; his enemies none." — D. R. Goodwin, D. D. 

^^■jtHE name of John Merrick is closely associated with 
/ I that of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan and of Charles Vaughan, 
^"^ Esq. These first representatives of the Merrick and 
^^^ Vaughan families in Hallowell came from England at 
about the same time and settled side by side on the banks of 
the Kennebec. Their families were intimately connected by 
intermarriage and personal associations. They had many 
important characteristics in common. Their essential prin- 
ciples, their views of life, and their manner of living were 
very similar; yet each of the founders of these families had a 
marked individuality, and in the character of no one of them 
does this individuality stand out with more prominence than in 
that of John Merrick. 

Mr. Merrick's contemporaries all agree in the assertion 
that he was a remarkable man. He came to Hallowell in his 
early manhood, and went in and out among our people, living 
an open, blameless life, until he reached the extreme and 
honored age of ninety-five years. Gifted in an unusual and 
varied degree, and imbued with the most lofty ideals, he was 
nevertheless very sane and practical in the administration of 
affairs, and presents to us the type of an honest, judicial, and 
useful citizen whose influence constantly made for the up- 
lifting of the community in which he dwelt. 

A Memoir of John Meiyick, Esq., written by D. R. 
Goodwin, D. D., Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, 
most worthily portrays the life and character of this eminent 
early resident of Hallowell; and to this Memoir, I am 
indebted for much of the material included in this sketch. 

The Merrick family was of Welch origin and can be traced 



100 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

back to the days of King John. The name has been spelled in 
various ways from the Meuric, Meyric, Meric, or Merick of the 
earlier generations to the Merrick of the present day. One 
of the members of this family, named Meuric, was "esquire 
to the body of Henry VII, and captain of the guard to 
Henry VIII." A grandson of this Meuric, and an ancestor 
of John Merrick of Hallowell, was Sir Gelly Meyric, or Meric, 
of Pembroke, Knight of the Shire in the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth. 

Mr. John Merrick was born in London, August 27, 1766. 
He was the son of Samuel Merrick who died in 1767, leaving 
his young wife with two children, Samuel and John. Mrs. 
Mary Merrick, the widow of Samuel Merrick, married Mr. 
William Roberts of Kidderminster, who became a faithful 
father to these two boys. The elder brother, Samuel, being 
strong and active, was educated for a merchant; but the 
younger brother, John, having a more delicate constitution, 
was designed for the ministry. He received a thorough 
classical training during his course of eight years in the 
Grammar School at Kidderminster, and afterwards studied 
divinity under the celebrated Dr. Belsham by whose liberal 
theological views John Merrick was strongly influenced in his 
earlier years. 

Having completed his divinity course, Mr. Merrick 
preached as a licentiate for two years at Stamford, but was 
never ordained to the ministry. From 1794 to 1797, he resided 
with the family of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan, in the capacity 
of tutor; and in 1795 he accompanied Mrs. Vaughan and her 
children to New England and spent fifteen months with them 
in Little Cambridge before coming with the family to 
Hallowell. 

In 1797, Mr. Merrick returned to England where, in April, 
1798, he married Rebecca Vaughan, daughter of Samuel 
Vaughan, and sister of Dr. Benjamin and Charles Vaughan, 
and brought his bride at once to Hallowell. Here he built 
and occupied the spacious cottage which stands upon one of 
the most beautiful sites in the town, and which is still known 
as the Merrick Cottage. At the time of his coming to 




John Mhrrick, Ksy. 



John Merrick, Esq. lOl 

Hallowell, the village was rapidly increasing in population; 
and Mr. Merrick entered most heartily into the spirit of the 
place and devoted all his energies to the promotion of the 
public welfare. He was especially interested in the cause of 
education. In 1802, he was appointed one of the trustees 
of the Hallowell Academy; and for the remainder of his long 
life, he devoted himself to the interests of this school. "He 
exerted himself in enlarging and husbanding the resources of 
the institution, in securing the best instruction, in aiding and 
encouraging the preceptors, in attending examinations, and in 
stimulating the intellectual energies, and the manlier and finer 
feelings of the students by his instructive, exciting, and genial 
exhortations." He was made president of the board of 
trustees in 1829, and continued in this post until his death. 
Mr. Merrick was also a member of the board of overseers of 
Bowdoin College from 1805 to 1851. 

In' the affairs of the town, with which he had cast his lot, 
Mr. Merrick showed himself a truly loyal and public-spirited 
citizen. He served ably and conscientiously as selectman, as 
surveyor of highways, and as overseer of the poor. He was 
also for some years cashier of the Hallowell Bank. He was 
exact and honorable in all of his business dealings and com- 
manded the highest esteem and confidence of his fellow 
townsmen. 

In 1 810, a project was started for the opening of a road 
from the Kennebec to the Chaudiere and thence to Quebec, 
which, it was thought, would greatly increase the business of 
this region and open an avenue from the Atlantic to Canada. 
This was the dream that allured the minds of all of our early 
settlers; the vision that dazzled their imagination, aroused 
their ambition, and led them to look forward to a most success- 
ful future for the little town on the Kennebec. The plan 
seemed at the time most feasible and practicable. On March 
8, 1 810, a board of commissioners was appointed by Governor 
Gore to examine this route and report upon its condition and 
the probable success of the undertaking. Mr. John Merrick 
was appointed a member of this commission. 

Mr. Merrick entered upon this work with the energy and 



102 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

enthusiasm that characterized all of his efforts, whether in 
public or private life; and the story of his journey to Quebec 
over the old trail of the Abenaki Indians, is one of peril, hard- 
ship, adventure, and exciting interest. 

The party consisted of the three commissioners, a sur- 
veyor, an Indian guide, and several men to carry the luggage 
and provisions. Mr. Merrick also took with him a young man 
from Hallowell, named David Morgan, as a personal attendant. 
"When they reached the Canada line, the two other 
commissioners, alleging that they had completed the work 
assigned them by the General Court, took the surveyor, the 
assistants, and the provisions with them, and returned ; leaving 
Mr. Merrick, with Morgan and the Indian guide, to go on to 
Quebec, assuring him that he need take no food with him for 
his return through the wilderness, as they would deposit an 
abundant supply on the way. Arrived at Quebec, the 
Governor invited him to dine, and ride with the ladies 
to Montmorenci. For a catastrophe so unexpected he was 
quite unprepared, being only in his rough camping dress, 
fresh from the wood. So he called on a French house to put 
him in trim, suggesting a white shirt, at which Monsieur 
shrugged, — a collar and bosom were all the case required." ' 

"After a week in Quebec, business being in train, the 
three again took to the bush. But, on reaching the place of 
the promised deposit, they found to their consternation that no 
provisions had been left for them .... As it was, a few cakes 
of portable soup and a few beans were all their store for a 
tramp of several days through the wilderness. The Indian 
left soon after, refusing to touch a particle of their scanty 
supply. 'No, no; give me the fish-hook; me Indian.' So 
in consideration of his own superior resources in difficult 
circumstances, he had pity for the poor white man." - 

The results of this expedition were not such as were 
desired and ardently hoped for by the inhabitants of the 
Kennebec valley. The reasons for this are explained in the 

' Memoir of John Merrick, Esg., pp. 16-17. 
2 Memoir of John Merrick, Esq., p. 18. 



John Merrick, Esq. 1 03 

following extract from a document furnished by Mr. Robert H. 
Gardiner to Professor Goodwin: 

'*My father gave Mr. Merrick a letter of introduction to 
Sir James Craig, Governor of Canada, with whom he had been 
formerly acquainted. The Governor received him courteously, 
and highly approved the object; and, through his influence, 
that portion of the road lying in Canada was completed ; and 
the State of Massachusetts had the road made from the forks 
of the Kennebec River to the Canada line. A mail was 
established on the route, and a custom house on the boundary. 
The advantages expected from the opening of this route were 
not realized. The road for a long distance passed through a 
barren country. There was a distance of forty miles with only 
a single house, and no soil sufificiently good to tempt any one 
to build a second. Few persons, either for pleasure or traffic, 
would go over the road where, in case of accident, aid could 
not be obtained. And the railroads which have since been 
constructed through Vermont and Maine to Canada, have 
given to the Canadians much greater facilities to the ports on 
the Atlantic than could be obtained by a road through the 
wilderness." ' 

In his personal characteristics, tastes, and accomplishments, 
Mr. Merrick was a most remarkable and versatile man. He 
possessed a rare combination of genuine, practical, scientific 
abihty with the more esthetic qualities of a connoisseur in all 
matters literary and artistic. In the development of his scien- 
tific impulses Mr. Merrick acquired a thorough knowledge of 
many branches of study. He was an accurate mathematician, 
surveyor, and navigator. He devoted much time to the study 
of astronomy, and invented a new practical method for mapping 
out the heavens. He was one of the first in this country who 
detected the planet Uranus with the naked eye. His interest 
in geology amounted to a passion. He prepared two lectures 
on this subject which he gave before the members of the 
famous old Hallowell Lyceum. He had also a thorough knowl- 

' Memoir of John Merrick, Esq., pp. 15-16. 



104 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

edge of anatomy, and in cases of necessity proved himself an 
excellent surgeon.' With all this, Mr. Merrick possessed the 
most highly cultivated literary and musical tastes. His talent 
for music had been developed from his childhood; and his 
musical gifts proved a great source of pleasure to his friends 
as well as to himself. He "played the violincello with extra- 
ordinary neatness, accuracy, and depth of tone, and until quite 
late in life, he sang with great sweetness. His knowledge of 
music was scientific; and for many }'ears he was President of 
the Handel society of Maine. In 1817, in connection with the 
late Chief Justice Mellen, who was Vice-President of the 
Society, he compiled a book of sacred music, which was 
published under the title of the ' Hallowell Collection of Sacred 
Music,' arranged for use in churches and families and well 
adapted for that purpose. It was due mainly to his strenuous 
efforts and intelligent guidance that the choir of the Old South 
Church in Hallowell became one of the most effective choirs 
in the country." ' 

Mr. Merrick was also master of the art of elocution in a 
day when good reading was a rare accomplishment ; and he did 
much to encourage the cultivation of this art among the young 
people within his large circle of influence. 

It was a characteristic of Mr. Merrick that whatever he 
did, he did well. This applied to his physical as well as his 
mental accomplishments. He was "an inimitable skater and 
swimmer, an admirable horseman, and an expert driver. If he 
paddled a birch canoe, no Indian could do it better. If he 
danced, no Frenchman could excel him." 

Professor Goodwin pays to Mr. Merrick this personal 
tribute: "His notions of honesty were almost romantic, and 
his sense of honor i)itensely delicate. His kindness and 
liberality were bounded only by his means. . . . His was a 
singularly pure life. . . . He was a strikingly humble and 
earnest, a devout and growing Christian. . . . None ever saw 
him to forget him; none ever became intimately acquainted 
with him without respecting and loving him." 

' Memoir of John Merrick, Esq., p. 25. 




The Merrick Cottage. North and South View 



John Merrick, Esq. 105 

There are not a few people still living, among the old 
residents of Hallowell, who remember Mr. Merrick; and they 
will all recognize this description of this remarkable man as 
perfectly true in letter and in spirit. I well remember him 
myself, as he appeared in our midst in the days of my own 
childhood. His erect, impressive figure, his long, gray hair, 
his genial smile, his kindly twinkling eyes, and his pleasant 
word for every child remain vividly impressed upon my 
mind. Wherever he appeared upon the street he never 
failed to attract attention through his strong personality and 
distinguished bearing. The portrait of Mr. Merrick painted 
by C. L. Elliott, in 1856, a copy of which accompanies this 
sketch, will always remain a true representation of serene, 
revered, and beautiful old age. 

Mr. John Merrick was born August 27, 1766, and died 
October 22, 1862. His wife, Rebecca Vaughan Merrick was 
born April 26, 1766, and died July 9, 1851. Their children 
were: 

1. Harriet Sarah, b. June 19, 1799; m. August 22, 1826, John 

A. Vaughan; d. January 26, 1872. 

2. Samuel Vaughan, b. May 4, 1801; m. December 25, 1823, 

Sarah Thomas; d. August 18, 1870. 

3. John, b. January 22, 1804; d. November 3, 1832. 

4. Mary, b. December 16, 1805; m. October 23, 1843, John P. 

'plagg; d. 1880. 

5. George, b. November i, 1809; d. May 7, 1862. 

6. Thomas Belsham, b. April 24, 1813; m. November 7, 1839, 

Elizabeth M. White; d. January 13, 1902. 

The children of Samuel Vaughan and Sarah Thomas 
Merrick were: Helen Taylor, m. John Edmund Cope; John 
Vaughan, m. Mary S. Wagner; William Henry, m. Sarah Maria 
Otis; Emily Houghton; Lucy Whitwell; Hartley; Laura 
Town. 

The children of Thomas Belsham and Elizabeth White 
Merrick were: John; William Gordon, m. Annie Dwight Brown; 
Isabella, m. George Sampson; Elizabeth, m. Charles E. 
Morgan; Hallowell V.; Bertha V.; Lleulla, m. Walter Clark. 



I06 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

The ancestral residence of the Merrick family, erected by 
John Merrick in 1799, still stands beneath its majestic elms in 
a beautiful location at the southern end of the town. It is a 
spacious cottage built on the model of the best English farm- 
houses. 

Th^ front door of the house opens into a long hall which is 
also used as a library. Its walls are lined with book-shelves 
protected by wooden doors. Upon these shelves may still be 
found valuable volumes that once belonged to that scholarly 
book-lover, Mr. John Merrick. Here also is the ancestral 
Bible of the Merrick family, bearing the date 1732, and con- 
taining a bookplate engraved with the Merrick coat of arms. 
A unique feature of the house is the curious, narrow, winding 
stairway leading to its quaint, low-roofed chambers. The 
greatest attraction of the house, however, is the octagon room. 
This delightful, odd-shaped apartment is rendered most inviting 
by its old-fashioned fireplace and ancient furnishings. From 
its windows there are glimpses of the river, and of Augusta, 
its church towers, the State House dome, and the hills beyond. 
This room, which is of especial interest from the rareness and 
symmetry of its architectural style, was, at the time it was built, 
the only room of its kind in this locality; but a beautiful, 
finely proportioned room of a similar design has, in recent 
years, been added to the Vaughan mansion in Hallowell. 

The Merrick house passed at one time out of the posses- 
sion of the Merrick family, and was owned by Captain Swanton 
and afterwards by Governor Bodwell. It has now, happily, 
been purchased by Henry Vaughan, Esq., the son of Benjamin 
Vaughan, and a lineal descendant through his maternal line, 
from Samuel Merrick, the brother of Mr. John Merrick. Mr. 
Vaughan has restored the house as nearly as possible to its 
original condition, the long piazza on the east side being now 
the only modern innovation. Such a house, with its many 
hallowed associations, is a rare and valuable possession, not 
only to its owner, but to the town that claims it among the 
oldest and most interesting of its ancient dwellings. 




Henry Goodwin Vaughan, Esq. 



IX 

REPRESENTATIVE FAMILIES 

"No town in Maine could boast a more select and charming 
circle." — Hon. John H. Sheppard. 

,^^MONG the men who were prominent and influential in 
^r\ Hallowell in the early part of the nineteenth century, 
^^^V was Hon. Nathaniel Dummer. At the age of thirty- 
^^ four, in the prime of his young manhood, he came 

from Newburyport, with his wife and family, to make his 
home on the shores of the Kennebec. It is at once apparent 
that Nathaniel Dummer possessed those mental and moral 
qualities which enabled him to take a dominant part in all the 
affairs of the town and state. We find his name associated 
with all the early movements for the public good. He 
appears in office as the first postmaster of the Hook, as 
moderator of the town meetings, and as one of the most 
efficient trustees of the Hallowell Academy. The part 
which he took in the broader field of legislative and judicial 
life is told in a tribute to his memory penned by one of 
the ablest of his contemporaries, Mr. Nathaniel Cheever, 
who writes as follows : 

"Judge Dummer was born in Byfield, March 9, 1755. He 
was educated at Dummer Academy. At an early age he 
engaged in the Revolutionary war, and having been appointed 
a commissioner of prisoners, he was stationed at Providence, 
R. I., where he married Mary Kilton, a widow, with one 
daughter, Sarah, now Mrs. John O. Page, of this town. In 
1789, he came to Hallowell and contributed with others to 
raise it from its infancy to its present flourishing condition. 
Endowed by nature with strong mental powers, they were 
displayed in a variety of public offices which he sustained with 
honor to himself and to the general advantage and satisfaction. 
He was for a number of years a member of the legislature, as a. 



io8 Old Hallowell on the Kemiebec 

Representative of the town and Senator for the county, and 
always took an active and conspicuous part in the concerns of 
the State, particularly of this district. No one was more 
sincerely and disinterestedly engaged in the interests of his 
constituents, and in no instance was their confidence misplaced. 
In 1809, he was elected by the legislature into the Executive 
Council of the Commonwealth, of which he was an active 
and efficient member. In 1799, when the county was divided 
from Lincoln, he was appointed one of the justices of the 
Court of Common Pleas, which office he filled until its abolition 
in 1811. 

"As a legislator, active magistrate, and judge, he was 
distinguished by an acuteness, penetration, and comprehensive- 
ness of mind; an intuitive sagacity which procured him a 
reputation and position which few with a long life of labor and 
study have obtained, and none without the most spotless 
integrity; and above all he possessed a practical good sense. 
On commercial and political subjects his information was 
extensive and his views enlarged. He was ever a firm and 
undeviating supporter of the Washington Policy. . . . 
Engaged as he had been in political affairs, and zealous in 
what he believed the cause of truth, his warmest political 
opponents never doubted his honesty and purity of intentions. 
Many sought his advice and direction in difficulties, and never 
sought in vain; for they had the utmost confidence in his 
judgment and not less in his rectitude. His activity of 
mind, his public spirit, and industrious habits, were con- 
spicuous traits of his character." 

Nathaniel Dummer was the son of Richard and Judith 
Dummer of Newbury, and a lineal descendant of Richard 
Dummer, Esq., who emigrated from England to this country in 
1633. Nathaniel Dummer married August i, 1799, Mrs. Mary 
(Owen) Kilton (or Kelton), of Providence, Rhode Island. 
Their children were: Joseph Owen, b. March 5, 1780; m. 
Judith G. Dummer, daughter of Richard Dummer; Judith 
Greenleaf, b. March 5, 1780, d. March 19, 1783; Gorham, b. 
September 27, 1782, m. Sarah Abbott of Concord; Maria, b. 




Mrs. Mary Kiltox Dimmer 

Judge Nathaxiei. Dimmer 



Dummer 109 

February 15, 1787,111. September 3, 1811, Jeremiah Perley of 
Hallowell. 

The marriage of Judge Dummer and Mrs. Mary Kilton 
was preceded by a romantic courtship, the glamour of which 
still lingers about the story of their lives. During the war of 
the Revolution, Nathaniel Dummer, then a young lieutenant 
in the Continental army, was stationed at Providence, Rhode 
Island. One day a pretty little seven-year old girl, attracted 
by the fascinating pomp and circumstance of military life, 
strayed into the soldiers' camp. The child had a delectable 
half -eat en doughnut in her hand. The young officer was 
hungry. Visions of his childhood's home in old Newbury, 
and of the crisp, brown dainties from his mother's frying-pan 
flitted through his brain. 

"Come here, little girl," said he. "Where did you get 
that doughnut.?" 

"My mother made it," replied the child. 

"Take me to her!" exclaimed the young officer in a 
dramatic tone. "Mayhap she will make me a doughnut also!" 

When the pretty young widow. Mistress Mary Kilton, 
looked out from her cottage window a few minutes later, she 
saw a handsome young soldier coming to the house leading 
her little daughter Sally by the hand. The negotiations for 
the doughnuts were successful; and the young widow earned 
many sixpences during the next few weeks by the results of 
her culinary art. This new source of income proved, for the 
time, very acceptable to Mrs. Kilton, who, by the death of her 
patriotic young husband at the beginning of the war, had been 
left without adequate means of support. 

Four years of widowhood had passed; but Mary Kilton 
was still young and beautiful, with a tenderer grace than that 
of girlhood. The lieutenant's heart was deeply touched. The 
quest of the doughnut soon changed to the wooing of a bride ; 
and Lieutenant Nathaniel Dummer and Mary Kilton were 
married, in Providence, August i, 1779. The young patriot 
remained in his country's service until the close of the war. 
In 1789, he removed to Hallowell with his wife and five 
children, including the little Sally whom he loved as his own 



no Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

daughter. We have learned of the success and honor that here 
crowned his Hfe. We also know of the charm and happiness 
of the Dummer home, and of its refining and helpful influence 
in the social life of the rapidly growing village at the Hook. 
In this home little Sally Kilton grew into beautiful young 
womanhood and married one of the wealthiest and most distin- 
guished residents of old Hallowell, Mr. John Odlin Page. 

Judge Dummer died in Hallowell, September 15, 1815; 
and "seldom," as the old records tell us, "has a death in this 
part of the country produced a more general sympathy." His 
widow, who survived him for a number of years, was much 
beloved and respected in the community. 

A great-granddaughter of Mrs. Mary Kilton Dummer, 
Miss Sophia B. Oilman, still has in her possession a beautiful 
ring which was once worn upon the hand of her revered 
ancestress a century ago. This ring is not only a treasured 
souvenir of olden days, but a visible sign of the verity of this 
old romance of the Revolution. 



Captain John Sheppard, an English gentleman of good birth 
and breeding, was born at Cirencester, an ancient walled town 
in Gloucestershire, England, where his ancestors had lived for 
many generations. Having received an excellent education, he 
entered the counting-room of a London merchant and prepared 
himself for mercantile pursuits. In his early manhood, he 
married Sarah Collier of London, a beautiful young English 
girl who had been educated in a French convent and who was 
especially remarkable for her musical talent. This interesting 
couple, allured by the favorable commercial prospects of the 
time in this new country, emigrated with their two children to 
Philadelphia, in 1791, and thence to Hallowell on the Kennebec. 

One of the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard was the 
bright and gifted boy, born March 17, 1789, afterwards well 
and widely known as the Hon. John H. Sheppard. To his 
writings we are indebted for many interesting reminiscences of 
Hallowell and especially for accurate information in regard to 



Sheppard 1 1 1 

the members of the Sheppard family and their home hfe in 
Hallowell. 

"For several years," writes Hon. John H. Sheppard, "my 
father was engaged in trade at the 'Hook,' so called from a 
peculiar bend in the river about half a mile below the chief 
settlement where our old red house stood on a high bank, 
facing a long stretch of water. . . . This old red house — 
where the margin of the parlor fire-place was once adorned with 
Dutch porcelain tiles, covered with scripture paintings, and 
some of whose apartments were said to be haunted — has all 
disappeared ; and the romance of a habitation, once gladdened 
by so many genial visitors, has vanished away." 

In this old home presided over by a mother who has been 
described by one who knew her as "a woman of elegant 
symmetry and beauty," and who had a "voice of music," the 
children of the Sheppard family were reared. The two oldest 
children, John Hannibal, and Harriet Helen, were born in 
England; the five younger children, George Albert, Frances, 
Ann Augusta, Louisa, and William, were born in Hallowell. 

The father, as well as the mother, took great pains with 
the education of these children. He purchased for his eldest son 
a library containing Goldsmith's histories of Greece, Rome, 
and England, besides many other books, including an edition of 
Plutarch's lives in seven volumes illustrated with fine plates. 
This library in itself must have been of inestimable advantage 
to all the children of the Sheppard family. "My father," 
writes this elder son, "also taught me to commit to memory by 
making me learn every day as a task a number of lines of 
Goldsmith's Deserted Village, his Traveller, and other simple 
but beautiful pieces of poetry. He was himself an uncommonly 
fine reader; and it seems to me that even now I can see his 
noble form as he paced the parlor floor, — his eye which was 
dark, kindling with animation beneath a high, white forehead, 
— holding a book in his hand, and reciting to me some of the 
exquisite lines of Goldsmith, while I held his hand, following 
with timid steps and repeating after him." 

Other kindly and elevating influences entered into the 
home life of the Sheppard family. The Sheppards had many 



1 1 2 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

warm friends in the cultured social circle of Kennebec valley. 
"Among them," writes Mr. John H. Sheppard, "was that 
finished, classic scholar and man of genius, the late Rev. John 
S. C. Gardiner, D. D., rector of Trinity Church, under whose 
care I was at college, and to whom I am indebted for a love of 
choice reading and literature which have a perennial consolation 
and support in all changes of fortune. The Hon. Benjamin 
Vaughan, LL. D., who settled in Hallowell soon after my 
father, was another friend; and the friendship of such a man to 
him and his family, and particularly to myself, is among the 
halcyon recollections of my life." 

After living for some years in Hallowell, Mr. John 
Sheppard met with financial reverses, and closing his business, 
went out as supercargo on a ship to the East Indies. During 
this adventurous voyage, of four years, Mr. Sheppard acquired 
a knowledge of "navigation and linear calculation" that 
enabled him to take command of a vessel himself. On his 
return from a second voyage to the East Indies, he spent one 
winter with his family in Hallowell, and then assumed command 
of a brig belonging to William O. Vaughan, which was loaded 
with lumber for the Barbadoes, He reached the destined port 
in safety; but the homeward voyage proved most disastrous. The 
vessel was driven on the reefs between the Islands of Demerara 
and Guadaloupe, and afterwards encountered a terrible gale, 
but finally made Point Petre in safety. Here, Captain 
Sheppard was taken with yellow fever and died after an illness 
of twelve days. 

Captain Sheppard was buried at Point Petre with masonic 
honors, "every respect being paid to his memory by strangers;" 
but it is sad to record that this gallant old-time gentleman who 
was "always hopeful" and whom "no misfortune could break 
down," should die in a foreign land, far from his home and 
friends, at the early age of forty years. 

The death of Captain Sheppard was a severe blow to his 
family. His oldest son, a brilliant and promising young man 
who had fitted for college at the Hallowell Academy, and 
entered upon his course of study at Harvard, was obliged 
to leave college and aid in the support of the family. He 



Sheppard 1 1 3 

entered the law office of Wilde and Bond in Hallowell, and in 
course of time was appointed Register of Probate for Lincoln 
County. His beautiful and accomplished mother taught school 
and gave music lessons in Hallowell and afterwards in Portland 
under the patronage of Judge Mellen. Her own daughters 
received under her supervision a most excellent education. 
She died in 181 8, just as the son, as he sadly records, "had the 
means to make her more happy." Her memory is honored 
"for the noble spirit with which she bore her sorrows and 
brought up her large family." 

The death of Mrs. Sheppard had been preceded by that of 
two of her daughters, Frances and Helen. The second son, 
George Albert, became a merchant of Calcutta and married 
the daughter of a director of the East India company. Ann 
Augusta married Dr. Philip E. Theobald of Wiscasset. Louisa, 
born 1806, married Major Samuel Page of Wiscasset, and died 
October 3, 1833. William W., the youngest child, died of 
cholera on the Mississippi, in 1834. 

Hon. John Hannibal Sheppard, * married first: Helen, 
daughter of Abiel Wood of Wiscasset; second: Mrs. Orissa B. 
Forster, daughter of Rev. Ezra Wilmarth, of Georgetown, 
Massachusetts. The children of the first marriage were one 
daughter, Helen Wood, who married Dr. Stephen B. Sewall, 
and two sons, John Hannibal and Abiel Wood, both of whom 
died unmarried. 

The memory of the life and work of Hon. John H. 
Sheppard is preserved in the record of his professional career 
and in his numerous literary works. Mr. Sheppard received 
the degree of A. M. from Bowdoin in 1820; and was one of the 
overseers of that college from 1831 to 1852. In 1867, Harvard 
College gave him the degree of Bachelor of Arts, thus restoring 
to him his place in his class; and, in 1871, he was honored by 
the degree of Master of Arts from Harvard. 

Personally, Mr. Sheppard "was of medium size, with a full 
chest and erect carriage. His hair was dark brown streaked 
with gray, and he had keen sparkling brown eyes. . . . His 
presence was that of a gentleman of the old school, and this 
idea was fully expressed in his conversation and manner. He 



114 ^'^^ Hallowell on the Ketinebec 

was one of the last specimens of that courtliness which was 
characteristic of the educated class in our colonial days." ' 

But although the name of Sheppard has become extinct in 
our local records, the family has been represented during the 
last quarter of a century in Hallowell by the descendants of 
John Sheppard. 

For twenty years, Mrs. Helen Page Stinson, the grand- 
daughter of John Sheppard resided in Hallowell. She was a 
woman of rare charms of mind and character, and a worthy 
descendant of her fair and gifted ancestress, Sarah Collier 
Sheppard. The family is now represented by Miss Clara 
Stinson, and Mr. Harry Stinson, children of David G. and 
Helen Page Stinson, and great-grandchildren of John Sheppard, 
the founder of the Sheppard family in Hallowell. 



The oldest although not the earliest representative of the 
Page family in Hallowell was Dr. Benjamin Page who was 
born in Kensington, New Hampshire, in 1746. In his native 
state. Dr. Page was eminent in his profession, and was also 
well known as a patriotic citizen. He was a member of the 
New Hampshire legislature, and served as surgeon in the 
Revolutionary army from 1777 to 1781. In 1800, he removed 
to Hallowell where his sons Dr. Benjamin Page, Jr., and John 
Odlin Page had previously located. Dr. Benjamin Page, Sr., 
was a typical representative of the old school of physicians. 
His manners were courtly; his mind was active and intelligent; 
and he commanded the respect and esteem of his fellow- 
townsmen for his usefulness as a physician and his excellence 
as a man. He died in Hallowell, October 28, 1824, "with a 
firm belief in the Christian religion and hope of future 
happiness." 

Dr. Benjamin Page, Sr., married Abigail Odlin who was 
born May 28, 1748. She was the daughter of Deacon John 
Odlin of Exeter, New Hampshire, and a lineal descendant of 
John Odlin, an early settler of Boston and one of the original 

' New-England Historical and Genealogical Register. XXXVII: 344. 



Foge 115 

owners of part of the land now included in Boston Common. 
Abigail Odlin was also descended, through her maternal grand- 
mother, Elizabeth Woodbridge, from Rev. John Woodbridge 
of Stanton, England, and his wife, a daughter of Rev. Robert 
Parker, the eminent English non-conformist author and divine. 
The Pages also trace their ancestry through one of their 
maternal lines to Mercy, daughter of Governor Dudley, an 
adventurous gentlemen descended from the Barons of Dudley 
of Staffordshire, England, and at one time a captain in the 
army of Queen Elizabeth.' Dr. Benjamin Page himself, 
according to family tradition, was fourth in descent from Sir 
Francis Page of Great Britain. The records thus show that 
some of the best blood in the colonies flowed in the veins of 
the children of Dr. Benjamin and Abigail Odlin Page. 

These children were Benjamin, b. April 12, 1769, d. January 
25, 1824; John Odlin, b. March 26, 1771, d. in London, 181 1; 
Alice, b. 1774, d. 1863; Abigail, b. June 17, 1776, d. 1778; 
William Henry, b. July 9, 1779; Samuel, b. September 11, 
1781; Dudley Woodbridge, b. October 4, 1783; Lucretia Flagg, 
b. February 12, 1785; Rufus King, b. March 13, 1787; and 
Caroline, b. December 12, 1789. 

Dr. Benjamin Page, Jr., b. April 12, 1769, came to 
Hallowell in 1791, among the earliest of our eminent settlers, 
and so endeared himself to the hearts of the people that he was 
always called "the beloved Physician." Dr. Page was educated 
at the old and still famous academy at Exeter, New Hampshire, 
and studied medicine with Dr. Kittridge, a distinguished 
gentleman of extensive practice in Andover, Massachusetts. 
His professional career, which began in Hallowell in 1791, 
continued with ever increasing success for more than half a 
century. He was "a man of large stature, good form, and of a 
mild and benignant countenance. He possessed the qualities 
of a true gentleman, suavity and benevolence of disposition, a 
nice perception of the proprieties of social life, and a spirit of 
deference to the feelings and rights of others." It has been 
said of him that "his advantages of professional education were 

' New-England Genealogical and Historical Regist r, x: 134. 



ji6 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

not equal to those of the present day, but the benefit he derived 
from a free access to the medical library of the late Mr. 
Benjamin Vaughan, and an intimate intercourse with this 
gentleman who kept abreast with all the discoveries and 
improvements in the science of medicine, more than counter- 
balanced the defect in Dr. Page's early education. Possessing 
naturally a strong mind, whose powers were happily adjusted, 
Dr. Page was able to make all the sources of knowledge and 
means of improvement which lay in his path, subservient to his 
use. The distinguishing trait of his mind was judgment, which 
conduces more than any other to distinction in the medical 
profession." 

In 1 814, when the ''spotted fever" raged so fatally in New 
England, Dr. Page discovered and put in practice a course of 
treatment which rendered the disease comparatively harmless 
in Hallowell. One of the ministers of that day testifies that 
he attended funerals almost daily in adjoining towns, while 
Dr. Page's patients almost all survived. By this success. Dr. 
Page justly attained much celebrity; and Bowdoin College 
was proud to confer upon him the honorary title of Doctor of 
Medicine. To the end of his life, Dr. Page continued to be 
"not only the sick man's doctor, but the sick man's friend." 
He died January 25, 1824, leaving behind him an enviable 
reputation as physician, friend, and Christian citizen. 

The wife and devoted companion of Dr. Benjamin Page 
was Abigail Cutler, born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. 
Miss Cutler in her youth was considered a great belle and 
beauty in the town of her birth, and had in her train of 
admirers such gifted and gallant youths as John Quincy Adams 
and Rufus King; but she bestowed her hand upon Benjamin 
Page and came to make a home with him in the little hamlet at 
Hallowell Hook just as the village was beginning to emerge 
from its obscurity. Mrs. Page possessed the qualities of an 
ideal wife and helpmate for such a man as Dr. Benjamin Page ; 
and their long life together was one of great happiness and 
usefulness. At the time of the death of Mrs. Page, the following 
tribute was paid to her memory: 

"Mrs. Page retained her youthful beauty and elasticity at 




Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Page 



Page 117 

the age of fourscore, and through her long and happy life was 
a model mother, sister, wife, and daughter. Uncommonly 
graceful and winning in her manners, with a natural combination 
of sweetness of temper and goodness of heart, she was beloved 
and respected by all who knew her, and was the ornament of 
every circle in which she moved. She was the idol of her chil- 
dren, upon whom this stroke of Providence will fall most heavily ; 
while her numerous friends and acquaintances will long revere 
her memory and lament her loss. From the same earthly 
mansion in which she dwelt, in the bosom of her family, for 
more than half a century, her gentle spirit took its flight, and 
now reposes, we trust, a spirit of goodness in the bosom of its 
God, in those happy mansions above, not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens." 

The children of Dr. Benjamin and Mrs. Abigail Cutler 
Page were: Frederick Benjamin, b. July 5, 1798; Julia Ann, b. 
April 6, 1800; Harriet, b. September 20, 1802; Fraziette, b. 
October 8, 1804; William Cutler, b. November 16, 1806. 



Major John Odlin Page, son of Benjamin and Abigail Odlin 
Page, was born at Exeter, New Hampshire, March 22, 1772. 
He came to Hallowell in 1790, and married Sarah Kelton, 
daughter of John and Mary Kelton. Their children were: 
Emeline, born December 12, 1802; John Odlin, born February 
II, 1806; Louisa, born April 16, 1809. 

Major Page was distinguished for his elegance of person, 
urbanity of manner, decision of character, ardent philanthropy, 
and love of liberty. He was engaged in the importation of 
drugs, medicines, and other merchandise from England, and 
amassed a large fortune for the times in which he lived. In 
1 810, he went to Europe and was the bearer of American 
despatches from Paris to London in 181 1. He died in London 
in that year, and was buried in the Parish Church of Saint 
Michael's. 

Rufus King Page, son of Benjamin and Abigail Odlin 
Page, was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, March 13, 1787. 



Ii8 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

He married Caroline, daughter of General Hull of Revolutionary 
fame. Their children were: Rufus King, John Odlin, and 
Sarah. Mrs. Caroline Page died August 22, 1824. Mr. Rufus 
K. Page married, March i, 1827, Martha, daughter of Colonel 
Samuel Howard. Their children were: Lucretia, Frank, and 
Henry. 

Mr. Rufus K. Page possessed the unusual business ability 
and executive force that was characteristic of his family. He 
engaged largely in ship-building on the Kennebec, and did 
much to develop this profitable industry in Hallowell. When 
steamboats were introduced, Rufus K. Page and Cornelius 
Vanderbilt were joint owners of the first line of steamers 
between Boston and the Kennebec. Mr. Page afterwards 
established a line of steamers running to San Francisco and 
other distant ports. He was also the owner of the Bangor, the 
first United States steamer to enter the Black Sea. The New 
Yox]k Journal of Co7nmerce (1855) states that the steamer 
Bangor of Hallowell, Maine, sailed from this country under 
command of Captain Dunn, with the intention of being engaged 
in towing near Constantinople, but was purchased by the 
Turkish government, in 181 2, and used as a hospital ship on 
the Black Sea. One of the passengers on this steamer on its 
first voyage to Constantinople, was Mr. Rufus K. Page, Jr., 
who was, for a number of years. Consul at Jerusalem and 
afterwards at Port Said. 

Mr. Rufus K. Page, Sr., remained throughout his life 
closely and actively identified with the interests of Hallowell ; 
and he had the honor of being elected its first mayor when the 
town became a city in 1852. He died February 6, 1870, aged 
eighty-three years. 



Nathaniel Cheever was one of the early publishers and 
book-sellers of Hallowell, and the first editor of the American 
Advocate. He married Sarah Barrell of York. Their children 
were: Nathaniel, b. 1805; George Barrell, b. 1807; Sarah 
Barrell, b. 1809; Elizabeth Bancroft, b. 181 2; Henry Theodore, 
b. 1814; Nathaniel, b. 1816; Charlotte Barrell, b. 1818. 



Che ever 119 

Nathaniel Cheever died at Augusta, Georgia, March 5, 1819, 
in the prime of his manhood, at the age of forty-one years. 
His widow, "a lady of culture and a woman of unusual strength 
of mind and active piety," is said to have been "fully equal to 
the task of bringing up her family of seven children." Two of 
these children, George B. and Henry T. Cheever, attained 
unusual celebrity. 

George Cheever doubtless inherited from his parents a 
superior intellect which was nourished by most careful culture. 
In his childhood, his love for reading was encouraged by his 
friends, and especially by Mrs. Benjamin Vaughan, who loaned 
him books from the Vaughan library and directed his literary 
tastes. He took his college preparatory course at the 
Hallowell Academy, and entered Bowdoin with the famous 
class of 1825. At Bowdoin, he was a most intense and 
thorough student, and an omniverous reader. Calvin E. 
Stowe, a student in the class above Cheever, once said: 
"It is fifty dollars damage to the college library to have a 
theme assigned to Cheever to write upon. He examines 
every shelf to see if by any possibility he can find a sentence 
which throws light upon his subject." 

George Cheever was not only a thorough student but an 
original thinker and a fearless expounder of what he believed to 
be the truth. He began life in the Christian ministry with the 
resolve that he would never see wrong-doing without rebuking 
it. Mr. Abbott asserts that Cheever was influenced all his life 
by the spirit of the man who prayed: "O Lord, I thank thee 
that I have none of that sneaking virtue called prudence!" 

Mr. Cheever was ordained pastor of the Howard Street 
Congregational Church at Salem, in 1832. While there he 
contributed many literary and theological articles to the North 
American Review, the Biblical Repository, and other maga- 
zines. He was one of the most voluminous and famous of the 
Hallowell writers; and on the shelves of the Hubbard Free 
Library may be found his works in forty volumes. These 
books cover a period from 1828 to i860. Notable among them 
are: Studies in Poetry, Lectures on the Pilgrims Progress, 



120 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Wanderings of a Pilgrim, Voices of Nature, and God Against 
Slavery. 

But the most famous work of Dr. Cheever was a temper- 
ance pamphlet called Deacon Giles Distillery. The contents 
of this pamphlet were originally published in the Salem 
Latidmai'k, in February, 1835, at the time when the tem- 
perance agitation was beginning to excite the public mind. 
The scathing utterances of this tract upon the great evil of this 
period were like tongues of flame burning into the hearts of the 
New England people. The effect of the article as it first 
appeared in the columns of the Landmark was unprecedented; 
and its subsequent influence upon the temperance reform was 
comparable to that of Uncle Tom's Cabin in the antislavery 
movement. 

A copy of this rare and curious old pamphlet lies before 
me. It is entitled: Deacon Giles' Distillery; and it is certainly 
a lurid and awful story. Deacon Giles was a highly respectable 
gentleman who made a great deal of money by the products of 
his distillery. Although a pious man and a church member, 
Deacon Giles never allowed the fires in his distillery to go out 
on Sunday; and, on one occasion, when his men refused to 
work, he hired a company of devils to take their place. These 
wicked devils conspired to play a joke upon the Deacon, and 
marked all of his barrels with invisible inscriptions which, 
whenever a glass of liquor was drawn, burst into these flaming 
lines: "Insanity and Murder," "Convulsions and Epilepsies," 
"Delirium Tremens," "Distilled Death and Damnation," and 
other things too terrible to mention. 

The tale is relieved here and there by a touch of keen 
satire or of grim humor. For example, in payment for their 
labors, the Deacon offered the demons "as much rum every 
day as they could drink;" but they "told him they had enough 
of hot things where they came from without drinking damna- 
tion in the distillery," Finally the deacon said he would give 
them half of what they asked, if they would take two-thirds of 
that in Bibles, — a stock of which the good deacon always kept 
in one corner of his distillery. The devils "winked and made 
signs to each other," and agreed to work over Sunday on 



Che ever I2i 

these terms; but, when their task was finished, they told the 
deacon that it was against their principles to take any wages 
for work done on the Sabbath, and refused to touch the Bibles. 

The wood cuts that illustrate the text of the pam- 
phlet are as weird and demoniacal as the scenes which they 
portray. One of the pictures represents the devils dancing 
around the boiling caldron. This was no mild Shakespearean 
"Double, double, toil and trouble " performance, but a fiendish 
revel in which the devils "leaped and grinned and jibbered and 
swore, . . . and danced to music as infernal as the rhymes 
they chanted were malignant," while "they threw their poison- 
ous and nauseous drugs into the agitated mixture . . . amidst 
the foaming mass of materials, which they stirred and tasted, 
scalding hot as it was, with a ferocious, exulting delight." 

One of the most curious effects of the publication of 
Deacon Giles Distillery was that a certain distiller of Salem 
took it as a personal affront; and he, a deacon in a Christian 
church, prosecuted the Rev. Mr. Cheever for libel. Mr. 
Cheever was convicted, and imprisoned for thirty days in the 
Salem jail. "But the whole procedure gave wings to the pro- 
duction of his genius, and caused it to become one of the great 
instruments of opening the eyes of the suffering community to 
the true character of distillation." 

The influence of Mr. Cheever's writings was felt to a 
degree forgotten or unrecognized at the present day. But 
when we recall the spirit of the times in which he lived, the 
vital interest which the subjects of intemperance and slavery 
had for the people, and the irresistible power with which 
Cheever put forth his arguments and appeals, we can under- 
stand the statement of the Rev. John S. C. Abbott that 
"there is perhaps no one of the Bowdoin class of 1825 who has 
produced a deeper impression on the American community than 
George B. Cheever." 

Henry Theodore Cheever, was born in Hallowell in 1814. 
He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1834, and followed very 
closely in his brother's footsteps as clergyman, traveler, and 
author. After preaching for some years in New York, New 
Jersey, and Connecticut, he finally settled in Worcester, 



122 Old Hall owe II on the Kennebec 

Massachusetts, in 1864. He was deeply interested in the anti- 
slavery cause, and was secretary of the church antislavery 
society. In addition to numerous biographical and theological 
works, he wrote a book entitled Life in the Sandwich 
Islands, and numerous volumes of travel and adventure 
among the islands of the Pacific, for young people. 

The old dwelling-house which was the home of the Cheever 
family is still standing on Water Street in Hallowell. It should 
be preserved in memory of the two eminent clergymen and 
reformers who passed their boyhood and youth within its walls. 



The name of Abbott holds a prominent place in the social 
and literary annals of Hallowell. This is due not only to the 
fame of the well-known authors, Jacob and John S. C. Abbott, 
but to the eminent position of their parents in the community 
and to the many interesting associations connected with their 
family record. 

Jacob Abbot, Esq., the first of the name in Hallowell, was 
the son of Jacob and Lydia Abbot ' of Wilton, New Hampshire. 
He was born October 20, 1776, married his cousin, Betsey, 
daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth Chandler Abbot, April 8, 
1798, and removed to Hallowell in November, 1800. 

Jacob Abbot, Esq., possessed all the excellent traits of his 
eminent Puritan ancestors, and was much beloved and respected 
in the town. He was a fine singer and very fond of music. 
Before coming to Hallowell, he had been one of the founders 
of the Concord Musical Society and chorister at the Old North 
Meeting-house. At Hallowell, he occupied for many years a 
prominent position in the famous Old South choir. In all of 
his business relations he was noted for his sincerity, justice, 
and probity. Dr. Gillet once said, "Squire Abbot has a 
remarkable faculty for being happy;" and this was doubtless 
true, for, as we are told by one who knew him, there was never 



■ It should be here noted that the father and grandfather of Jacob Abbott, the author, 
spelled their name Abbot. Jacob the third, for the sake of distinction, added a second / 
to his name; and his younger brothers adopted the same form. One of the brothers 
Gorham D. Abbot, afterwards returned to the original spelling of the name. 



Abbott 



[23 



a man who lived more constantly for others, or who was more 
unmindful of self. 

The children of Jacob and Betsey Abbot were: Sallucia, b. 
August 7, 1801; Jacob, b. November 14, 1803; John Stevens 
Cabot, b. September 18, 1805; Gorham Dummer, b. September 
3, 1807; Clara Ann, b. October 28, 1809; Charles Edward, b. 
December 8, 181 5; Samuel Phillips, d. 1849. 

John S. C. Abbott and Gorham Dummer Abbott were 
born in Brunswick during the temporary residence of their 
parents in that town, but their boyhood was passed in Hallowell. 

Mr. John S. C. Abbott, in his Reminiscences of Childhood 
thus speaks of his early home : 

"My parents and my grandparents belonged to the strictest 
class of Christians. My father never omitted morning and 
evening prayers, or to ask a blessing and return thanks at each 
meal. We knew that our mother had a season each day in 
which she retired to her 'closet and shut the door' that she 
might 'in secret' pray for each child by name. 

"The Sabbath was sacredly observed. As a rule through 
summer and winter, through heat and cold, we all went to 
church. Sabbath schools were not then held. Both of my 
parents were sweet singers. In our Sabbath, Thanksgiving, 
and Fast Day devotions, we alway sang hymns. Sabbath 
evening mother gathered us seven children around her knee. 
We then recited to her the Catechism, and each one repeated a 
hymn from Watts or some other poet, which she had selected 
for us in the morning. . . . We children all knew that 
both father and mother would rather we would struggle all our 
days with adversity, and be Chi'istians, than to have all the 
honors of genius, and all the wealth of millionaires lavished 
upon us, without piety. . . . We loved those Puritan 
parents with a fervor that could hardly be surpassed. 

Edward Abbott, in his Memorial Sketch of Jacob Abbott, 
gives another pleasant picture of child-life in Hallowell, written 
for him by "one who had a joyous part in it:" 

"This Hallowell life was very pleasant. Sam Merrick (as 
he was called then) used in winter to get out the old-fashioned 
white double sleigh, which he called 'the Ark,' and take us all 



124 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

for a ride about the streets in a light snow storm. Then there 
was the coasting down the hills, and all the winter amusements 
which we had health and strength for in those early days. 
The winter evening visits, too, were very pleasant. Children 
went more with their parents then than they do now. I 
remember one such occasion at Mr. Merrick's in the octagon 
parlor: the large white marble fireplace on one of the eight 
sides of the room, a big fire in it, a party of elderly gentlemen 
and ladies seated in semi-circles on each side, a large tea-table 
on the side of the room opposite, covered with the tea-equipage 
and around which we children, Vaughans, Merricks, and Abbots, 
all sat with Mrs. Merrick, who sent the tea, etc., to the party 
around the fire on a small tea-tray, and gave us children our 
supper meanwhile. After tea, the things were removed; and 
books, pictures, riddles, etc., were brought for our amusement, 
while the elders chatted pleasantly before the fire. Our visits 
at Mr. Benjamin Vaughan's and at your Grandfather's, 'Squire 
Abbot's,' were of the same character. The feast for the 
appetite was very simple; but the intellectual and aesthetical 
feast was of the first order." 

The unusual social and educational advantages of Hallowell, 
in connection with the excellent home training received by the 
five Abbott boys, laid the foundation for their subsequent 
useful and successful careers, — careers which in the retrospect 
seem remarkable for their similarity. All five of these boys 
attended the Hallowell Academy; all graduated from Bowdoin 
College; all studied theology at Andover; all became teachers 
and ministers; all, except the youngest, who died in 1849, 
became eminent as authors. But notwithstanding this unity of 
life-work, each of the Abbott brothers was distinguished by 
marked individuality of character. A discerning friend in 
comparing three of them once said: "Jacob for advice; John for 
a speech; Gorham for a prayer." 

Jacob Abbott, the eldest son, entered Bowdoin when he 
was not quite fourteen years of age. He graduated in 1820; 
and, in 1824, was appointed professor of mathematics and 
natural philosphy at Amherst. In 1828, he was married to 
Miss Harriet Vaughan, daughter of Charles Vaughan, Esq., of 



Abbott 125 

Hallowell, a young lady much admired for her beauty and 
loveHness of character. 

In 1833, Jacob Abbott became principal of the Mt. Vernon 
School for young ladies in Boston. His work there was very 
effective in elevating and broadening the standard of education 
of young women. Ten years later, he was associated with his 
four brothers in Abbott's Institute, a school for young ladies 
in New York. The methods pursued by Jacob Abbott as an 
instructor in these schools are, in many instances, traceable to 
his own experience and early training. His books for children 
also disclose many bits of life and character suggestive of his 
own home; and the author himself asserts that the influences 
that moulded his life were in a marked degree traceable to his 
youthful associations and surroundings in old Hallowell. 

The fame of Jacob Abbott as the author of one hundred 
and eighty volumes is well known to every reader of these 
pages; but we who were brought up on the Rollo Books, the 
Jonas Books, the Lticy Books, the Harper s Story Books, and 
the Red Histories, have a peculiar feeling of gratitude and 
affection for the author that the younger generation of to-day 
can never understand. To us there was never any hero so wise 
as "Mr. George," or so resourceful as "Jonas," or so fascinating 
as "Beechnut;" and there certainly were never any "red 
histories," dyed with the blood of dethroned tyrants and 
beheaded queens, that touched so poignantly yet impressed so 
Hghtly, the susceptible but volatile heart of childhood. 

Four children were born to Jacob and Harriet Vaughan 
Abbott, who became eminent in the professional and literary 
world. They were Benjamin Vaughan Abbott, Austin Abbott, 
Lyman Abbott, and Edward Abbott. The life of these 
brothers presents a curious unity of purpose and results 
comparable to that of their father and his brothers. These 
four sons of Jacob Abbott all graduated from New York 
University; three of them studied law; the fourth, the late Rev. 
Edward Abbott, entered the ministry and became rector of 
St. James Church at Cambridge. All have been engaged in 
literary and editorial work. They were also all accomplished 
musicians, having perhaps inherited, together with their father 



126 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

and grandfather, their love and talent for music from that more 
remote ancestor, George Abbot, known as "a man of great 
simplicity and piety who tuned a psalm." 

The Rev. John S. C. Abbott has a ministerial record of 
forty years. He was also a prolific author with more than fifty 
volumes to his credit, including the famous Life of Napoleon 
and such of the Red Histoj'ies as pertain to France. His 
historical works were translated into many languages and gave 
their author an international reputation. 

Mr. Abbott graduated from Bowdoin College, with Long- 
fellow, Hawthorne, Cheever, Packard, and other celebrated 
men, in the famous class of 1825. He was one of the members 
of this class who were present at the fiftieth anniversary of 
their graduation when Longfellow delivered the poem, Morituri 
Salutamns. The opening invocation was by Mr. Abbott, and 
was most impressive. There are those who were present on 
this memorable day, — and I count myself happy to have been 
one of the number, — who still remember the fine, spiritual 
face and the sympathetic presence of this man who after fifty 
years of wide experience and many honors had brought back to 
his Alma Mater the unsullied and enthusiastic heart of the 
boy. In our ears, his thrilling tones still linger as, standing 
beside his gray-haired class-mate, he uttered this petition: 
"Lord, teach us to remember that 

' Not eujoymeut and not sorrow 
Is our destined end or way, 
But to act that each to-morrow 
Find us farther than to-day.' " 

These lines disclose the motif of the harmonious and 
effective life-work of the Abbott family. 



Just one hundred years ago, in the year 1809, made 
memorable by the birth of so many illustrious men, there 
was born, in Portland, Maine, a child destined to have the 
exceptional experience of being one of the most widely read 
and yet speedily forgotten authors in the realm of American 



Ingraham 127 

letters. This child was Joseph Holt Ingraham. He was the 
son of James M. Ingrahq,m, and, according to family tradition, 
a direct descendant of Sir Arthur Ingraham, a valiant knight of 
the days of King James I. of England. 

When the little Joseph was four years old, his parents re- 
moved from Portland to Hallowell, Maine. His father is described 
by one of his contemporaries as "a very polite, gentlemanly sort 
of man who always wore black broadcloth." Mr. Ingraham 
entered into business in the store on Water Street that after- 
wards became a well-known landmark on Ingraham's corner; 
and the family resided in a house that stood for many years in 
the locality of the present City Building. There were nine 
children in the Ingraham family, six of whom were born after 
the parents came to reside in Hallowell. 

Here the yovithful Joseph grew up, taking an active part in 
the young life of the town. He attended school at the 
Hallowell Academy; and has left on record some very inter- 
esting reminiscenses of this period of his life. During these 
years of his boyhood, his young heart was many times stirred 
by the marvelous stories told by the old sea-captains who daily 
sat to spin their yarns and sip their tall glasses of flip in the old 
store on Ingraham's Corner; and when he was about seventeen 
years of age the love of adventure began to assert itself. Every 
white sail that vanished down the Kennebec beckoned to him 
to follow; and so, one day, the lad put on his tarpaulin and set 
sail upon a sloop bound for South America. 

Returning from this voyage, apparently quite satisfied with 
his perilous experiences by land and sea, — including a lively 
part in a South American rebellion, — the brave and adven- 
turous descendant of Sir Arthur Ingraham once more settled 
down to his studies, and entered Bowdoin college after the 
manner of the other well-regulated youths of Hallowell. He 
graduated at twenty-four years of age. In 1832, he was 
Professor of Languages in Jefferson College, Mississippi. In 
1 836, he was editor of The South-west by a Yankee. 

The literary ability of Joseph Holt Ingraham began to 
develop while he was in college; and his remarkable powers of 
description and his riotous imagination, fed perhaps by some of 



128 Old Hall owe II on the Kennebec 

his own experiences, soon found expression in a series of 
marvelous and exciting tales whose heroes were pirates, 
corsairs, freebooters, and Indians. The first and most popular 
of these stories were Lafitte, or The Pirate of the Gulf, Captain 
Kydd, and The Dancing Feather, which sold in editions of tens 
of thousands. Another very interesting story was Scarlet 
Feather, a tale of the Abenaki Indians of the Kennebec, 

After a few years, the wild spirit of the youthful author 
seems to have expended itself upon these stories, and a more 
worthy ambition stirred his heart. His mind took a more 
serious turn, and his life-work became fixed upon a more exalted 
plane. He traveled much, studied profoundly, prepared him- 
self for the Protestant Episcopal ministry, became Dean of St. 
Thomas' School for boys, and took orders in Christ Church, at 
Holly Springs, Mississippi. 

In 1855, a book appeared from the pen of Rev. J. H. 
Ingraham which took the American reading public by storm. 
This was The Prince of the House of David. The success of 
the book was immediate and unprecedented. Hundreds of 
thousands of copies were sold, and the book is still listed by 
prominent American and English publishers. 

The Prince of the House of David was followed by The 
Pillar of Fire and The Throne of David, all of which are 
credited with historical accuracy, a picturesque setting, and a 
dramatic charm. They were not only the first novels founded 
upon Biblical subjects, but the first novels that were cordially 
received into the homes of Christian families in America. 
Even the Sunday school libraries on whose shelves no work of 
fiction had ever appeared, warmly welcomed the Pritice of the 
Honsc of David and the two succeeding volumes of Ingraham's 
trilogy of religous novels. 

But although the sale of Ingraham's books ran into the 
millions, and although they are still annually issued by standard 
publishers, the author himself seems to be almost forgotten by 
the literary world. The encyclopedias give him but brief 
mention, and the histories of American literature consistently 
ignore him. This experience presents a curious phase of 
authorship. If it be conceded that The Prince of the House of 



Moody 1 29 

David is not literature in the highest sense of the word, there 
still remains the interesting" question, to what elements in the 
book is its great and lasting popularity due? This question is 
quite worthy of the consideration of the student who is tracing 
the development of the American novel. 

Mr. Ingraham married, in 1837, Miss Mary E. Brookes, 
the daughter of a wealthy Mississippi planter. Their son, 
Prentiss Ingraham, born in 1843, was a colonel in the Confed- 
erate army. Like his father he was a writer of dramatic and 
picturesque fiction, and, at the time of his death, was the 
author of a thousand novels. 

The Rev. Joseph H. Ingraham died in i860. He cher- 
ished until his last years most vivid and delightful recollections 
of the home of his boyhood; and his Lights and Shadozvs of the 
Past are a treasure-store of reminiscences that are of especial 
value to us to-day, for they were written for the sons and 
daug-hters of Old Hallowell. 



Samuel, Nathan, and Enoch Moody were the sons of Paul 
and Mary Moody of Byfield Parish in Newbury. They all 
settled in Hallowell and became prominent and much respected 
citizens. 

Samuel Moody was born February 3, 1765, He was a 
graduate of Dartmouth college, and, for three years, was 
preceptor of Berwick Academy. In July, 1797, Mr. Moody 
was appointed preceptor of the academy at Hallowell, where 
he taught with great success for eight years. His salary at 
first was three hundred dollars a year and ten cents a week 
from each pupil. At the close of his term of service, he was 
receiving five hundred dollars a year, and had an assistant who 
received an annual salary of three hundred dollars. 

Preceptor Moody is mentioned in the local records as "a 
portly gentleman who always wore a queue." When he first 
came to Hallowell, he was a brilliant young man of thirty-two, 
whose marriage to Miss Sarah Sawyer, daughter of Enoch and 
Hannah Sawyer, had just taken place at Newbury. Mr. and 
Mrs. Samuel Moody resided in the large, square house on the 



30 



Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 



corner of Middle and Winthrop streets, still notable for its 
handsome colonial doorway, and now designated as the Moses 
Oilman house. Here their daughter Sarah grew into beautiful 
young womanhood, and was married, beneath the roof of this 
hospitable old mansion, to Joseph C. Lovejoy, October 6, 1830. 

Samuel Moody, after resigning his preceptorship, went 
into trade with his brother Nathan at Hallowell. He was 
successful in business and occupied positions of public trust in 
the town. He was also one of three delegates sent from 
Kennebec County to the convention held in Portland in 
October, 1819, for the purpose of forming a constitution for 
the State of Maine. He died April 6, 1832, aged sixty-seven, 
meriting the inscription placed upon his gravestone: "I will 
hold fast my integrity." 

Nathan Moody was born September 11, 1768, at Newbury, 
Massachusetts, and came to Hallowell in 1796. He was a 
graduate of Dartmouth College, and a remarkable mathema- 
tician. He married Judith Wingate, daughter of Joseph and 
Judith Wingate. Their children were: Mary Elizabeth, born 
July 25, 1806; died, September i, 1822; and Caroline Judith, 
born April 22, 1809; married October 21, 1828, William 
Stickney of Hallowell. 

Nathan Moody married second, Susan Clark of Plaistow, 
New Hampshire. Their daughter. Miss Mary Moody, was for 
many years a resident in the old Moody House, now known as 
the Macomber house, on Second Street. 



The Wingate family has an ancient and interesting lineage. 
Joshua and Joseph Wingate, who were settled in Hallowell at 
the opening of the nineteenth century, were sons of the Rev. 
Paine Wingate, "for sixty years the godly and faithful pastor 
of the church at Amesbury, Massachusetts," and descendants 
of "John Wingate, Planter, of Dover, in 1658." The mother of 
Joshua and Joseph Wingate was Mary Balch, "a lady noted for 
considerable literary acquirements and personal beauty." 

Joshua Wingate married Hannah Carr, daughter of Deacon 
James Carr, and came to Hallowell in 1794. At this time, the 




Captain John Agry 



Wingate 1 31 

passage was usually made in a sailing vessel; but Mrs. Wingate, 
not liking the sea voyage, undertook the journey in a chaise. 
Her husband, finding the roads extremely rough, was obliged 
to employ a servant on each side of the vehicle to keep it 
upright and pry it out of the mud-holes. But they at last 
arrived safely at their destination, and cast in their fortunes with 
the new and rapidly growing town on the Kennebec. 

Mr. Wingate entered into trade, and became one of the 
most prosperous merchants of Hallowell. He also served as 
postmaster for a number of years, and was prominent in the 
public affairs of the town. Joshua Wingate with his family 
resided in a large, fine house on the corner of Second and 
Union streets, now known as the Niles house. He lived to 
the remarkable age of ninety-seven years. He was always 
a conspicuous figure upon the street, as, up to the time of his 
death in 1844, he maintained the fashion of his early manhood, 
and wore small clothes and knee buckles. He was "universally 
respected for his industry, integrity, and a faithful discharge of 
all the social and Christian duties." ' 

Joseph Wingate, brother of Joshua, born July 17, 1751, 
married Judith Carr, and came to Hallowell about 1800. He 
owned and successfully cultivated a large farm, and was famil- 
iarly known as "Farmer Wingate." He was a friend of Dr. 
Benjamin Vaughan, with whom he "frequently went home for a 
neighborly visit on Sunday after meeting." 

Joseph and Judith Wingate had ten children, all born 
before their parents removed from Amesbury to Hallowell. 
Their second son, Francis (born January 5, 1789; d. May 14, 
1848) married, January 24, 1823, Martha Savary of Bradford, 
and settled on his father's estate in Hallowell. Their children 
were Mary Savary who married Dr. M. C. Richardson, and 
George Francis who married, August 6, 1861, Emma A. Myers 
of Manchester, Maine. Mr. George Francis Wingate was for 
many years one of the prominent business men of the town. 
Through his children the name of Wingate has been perpetu- 
ated in Hallowell. 

* History of the Wingate Family, p. i66. 



132 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

Hon. Chandler Robbins will long be remembered as one of 
the notabilities of Hallowell. He was the son of Rev. Chandler 
and Jane Prence Robbins of Plymouth. In 1 791, he came to 
Hallowell and established himself as a merchant. He was- a 
man of native talent, a graduate of Harvard College, and well 
fitted by birth and education to take a prominent place in the 
community. We soon find him on record as Register of Pro- 
bate and Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. 

Judge Robbins married Harriet, daughter of Thomas 
Lorthrop, and had two sons: William Henry, born October 22, 
1795, and Chandler, born August 21, 1797. He resided on the 
corner of Second and Lincoln streets, in one of the old-fashioned, 
square, two-story houses which abound in Hallowell, and enter- 
tained many distinguished guests in his hospitable home. 

The founders of the Agry family were notable as ship- 
builders and sea-captains, and stand as typical representatives 
of a class of men that constituted an important element in the 
early life on the Kennebec. 

Captain Thomas Agry established a ship-yard in Dresden 
in 1774; and built, at Agry's Point, twenty of the batteaux for 
Arnold's expedition. His son, John Agry, born at Barnstable, 
April 7, 1763, also settled at Dresden. Here he engaged 
extensively in ship-building, and was owner and commander of 
many of the vessels constructed in the Agry ship-yards. 

Captain John Agry married Elizabeth Reed of Boothbay, 
August 13, 1793. A long-remembered bit of romance is inter- 
woven with the story of the betrothal of this young couple. 
Captain Agry, on one of his return voyages, once encountered a 
very severe storm at the mouth of the Kennebec. He was 
obliged to put into Parker's Head for safety; and in this unex- 
pected haven he met and fell in love with the beautiful young 
girl who soon afterwards became his wife. 

In 1 801, Captain John Agry removed to Hallowell, and 
built for his first residence the spacious, old-time mansion on 
Water Street, afterwards known as the Marshall house. Later 
Captain John Agry erected the brick house on Second Street in 
which his son, Captain George Agry, afterwards resided. 




Mrs. E1.1ZABETH Reed Agrv 



Agry 133 

Captain George Agry, the seventh child of Captain John and 
EHzabeth Agry, born February 2, 1808, married CaroHne 
Hodges, of Hallowell, September 18, 1841; and died in Port- 
land, October i, 1894. 

Unlike most of the Hallowell sailors, this young captain, at 
the age of eighteen, started out as master of his own vessel. In 
fact, it is said that he was "Captain, mate, cook, and whole 
ship's crew;" and that he "carried one passenger and a trunk 
from Pittston down the Kennebec to the sea, and thence along 
the coast to the Penobscot, and up that river to Bangor." 

For more than forty years Captain Agry followed the sea, 
sailing from Boston to English, French, and Mediterranean 
ports. During his sea-going life, he was master and part owner 
of eleven vessels. Mrs. Agry accompanied her husband on 
many of his voyages and shared with him some thrilling 
experiences, during which Captain Agry showed himself to be 
a man of great nerve and courage. 

Captain Agry accumulated a large property early in life. 
His home was one of the most hospitable in Hallowell; and 
many of the guests who were entertained under its roof were 
friends made by the Captain among the distinguished pas- 
sengers whom he frequently carried "across," on his voyages 
from the United States to Europe. 

At the opening of the Civil War, Captain Agry gave up 
his ship and became one of those "retired sea cap'ns," of whom 
there were so many in Hallowell in the olden days. These men 
of leisure, travel, and experience in foreign lands, formed a most 
interesting part of the community. As a class, they were 
generous, open-hearted, and hospitable. They were always 
delightful story-tellers, and genial companions. They were 
also keenly interested in politics, and had ample time for the 
discussion of the questions of the day. 

Captain Agry was an enthusiastic Democrat and a very 
outspoken anti-abolitionist. He remained loyal to his party all 
his life; but in after years he fully recognized the justice of the 
principles of his early opponents, and looked upon the abolition 
of slavery as the righteous result of the great national conflict. 

The children of captain George and Caroline Hodges Agry 



134 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

are: Adelaide Newman, now Mrs. A. B. Moulton of Portland; 
Caroline Amelia, Mrs. Wiley S. Edmands of Newton, Massa- 
chusetts; and Mr. George Agry of Newton. The name of 
Agry, in the younger generation, has descended to George 
Agry, Jr., a graduate of Dartmouth, 1905, and Warren Agry 
of Dartmouth, 191 1, the sons of Mr. George Agry, formerly 
of Hallowell. 

The Sewalls of Hallowell belonged to the well-known York 
family descended from Henry Sewall, Mayor of Coventry, 
England. David Sewall settled in Hallowell in 1784, and his 
brother Moses came in 1787. They built stores and ware- 
houses, and were engaged in the "goods selling business." 
John Sewall, a cousin of David and Moses, also settled in 
Hallowell. He erected the three-story house that still stands, 
a conspicuous landmark, upon the high bank overlooking 
Lowell's crossing. John Sewall was town clerk for many 
years; and to his indefatigable labors, we are indebted for 
valuable records of the old families of Hallowell. John Sewall 
also taught the town school, and ruled his pupils with a master- 
ful and undisputed sway. The Sewall brothers were able 
and enterprising men; and their families occupied a highly 
respected position in the town. 

The daughters of these old Hallowell families were no 
less worthy of honorable mention than the sons. Miss Elizabeth 
Cheever, daughter of Nathaniel Cheever, was a rarely gifted 
young woman of exceptionally beautiful character. She mar- 
ried Mr. Ichabod Washburn of Worcester, Massachusetts, and 
spent her long life and ample fortune in philanthropic work. 
She has been called the "Lady Bountiful" and the "Saint 
Elizabeth" of her adopted city. 

The two daughters of the Abbott household were quite 
worthy of their name and family inheritance. Miss Sallucia 
Abbott never married. She may be regarded as an example 
of that notable and honored type of spinsterhood in which all 
the estimable qualities of the New England woman are com- 
bined. Strong in her convictions, forceful in her character, 
and far-reaching in her sympathies, she was a dominant factor 




Captain Georck Agrv 



Daughters of Hallowell 135 

in the Abbott home. As the elder sister, Miss Sallucia, 
exercised a watchful care over her brothers and, by her critical 
ability, cultivated tastes, and practical helpfulness, contributed 
much to the success of their literary work. In her later years, 
"Aunt Sallucia" lived at Fewacres, the Abbott estate in 
Farmington, where she "sat as an oracle in her seat, and 
administered a mimic sovereignty in the realm over which, by 
common consent, she was the queen." 

Miss Mary Moody was a woman of lovable character and 
unusual mental attainments. During many years she taught 
a very successful school for young ladies in her own home. 
Three generations of private pupils received instruction from 
Miss Moody, through whose teachings they were imbued 
with an ideal of true womanhood, and with noble aspirations 
that permanently influenced their lives. Miss Moody was a 
devoted member of the Old South Church ; and was the author 
of the beautiful poem entitled, "The Old South Church of 
Hallowell." The last twelve years of her life, Miss Moody 
spent with her nephew, Mr. George Hoyt, in Chicago and 
Pittsbi^rg. She died August 14, 1906, at the age of eighty-one. 

Mrs. Charlotte Sewall Eastman, daughter of David Sewall, 
was a woman of superior intelligence and culture. She traveled 
extensively abroad, and resided twelve years in Italy. Once, 
when in Switzerland, she had the pleasure of meeting George 
Eliot. The famous authoress sat in the garden of her hotel, 
reading aloud, in French, the story of Romola to a little girl 
at her side. As Mrs. Eastman approached, she paused a 
moment to listen to the musical voice of the reader. "Do you 
understand me.?" asked Mrs. Lewes, graciously. "Pardon me," 
replied Mrs. Eastman; "I was only listening to your sweet 
voice." "Do you like it.?" said Mrs. Lewes, as her face lighted 
with pleasure. Then, taking the hand of the American lady 
in her own, she said: "I thank you. I would much rather you 
would compliment my voice than my Romola!' 

Mrs. Eastman, in her early years, was a student at the 
Hallowell Academy. In after life, she was a liberal benefactress 
of the Classical School. She will long be remembered among 
the loyal daughters of her native town. 



X 

THE LAWYERS OF HALLOWELL 

"The bar of Kennebec contained at that time able lawyers and 
advocates. ... It required industry, perseverance, and a high 
ambition, as well as intellectual powers, to compete successfully 
with such men." — Hon. William Willis. 

'^^^ URING the days of the early growth and prosperity 
J pi of Hallowell, a number of men eminent in the legal 
Wj profession successively established themselves in the 
town, and contributed largely to its social and intellect- 
ual life. These men became well known, not only as members 
of the Kennebec bar, but as representatives to General Court, 
to the Maine legislature, and to the congress of the United 
States. They included, among their number, members of the 
Executive Council, and judges of the District Court and of the 
Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Notable among 
these lawyers were : Amos Stoddard, Nathaniel Perley, Samuel 
Sumner Wilde, Thomas Bond, Peleg Sprague, Ebenezer T. 
Warren, John Otis, Williams Emmons, William Clark, Henry 
W. Paine, William B. Glazier, and Henry Knox Baker. 

The name of Amos Stoddard stands first, in point of time, 
in the list of lawyers who gave distinction to the profession of 
law in Hallowell. He was born in Woodbury, Connecticut, in 
1759. At the age of twenty he entered the Revolutionary 
army and served throughout the seven years of the war. 
During this period of active service in the army, he developed 
that taste and ability for military affairs which marked his 
subsequent career. At the close of the war, Stoddard became 
assistant clerk of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, and 
resided in Boston. The fame of the growing town of Hallowell 
soon attracted him to this place; and about 1794, he settled at 
the Hook and opened an office as attorney of the Common 
Pleas. He was a man of unusual talent, and fine personal 
appearance; and from his legal ability and his experience in the 



Perley 1 37 

Massachusetts court, he immediately commanded a leading 
place among the residents of the town. He was the represen- 
tative from Hallowell to the General Court of Massachusetts 
in 1797, the year in which the town was divided. 

But although the legal and legislative ability of Mr. 
Stoddard was thus recognized, his military tastes and aspira- 
tions were predominant in his life; and in 1798, he threw up 
the profession of law and entered the United States Army with 
the rank of Captain. In 1799, he had command of the Fort on 
Munjoy Hill, then called Fort Sumner. In 1802, Captain 
Stoddard was ordered to Ohio, and was soon promoted to the 
rank of Major. Subsequently he was civil commander of upper 
Louisiana; and a military station. Fort Stoddard, was named in 
his honor. During the latter part of his life, he wrote two 
notable books. The Political Crisis, published in London, and 
Sketches of Lojiisiana. He died at the age of fifty-four, 
leaving behind him an honorable record as a patriot and 
soldier. 



Nathaniel Perley was born at Boxford, Massachusetts, 
about 1770. He was graduated from Dartmouth College in 
1791, and, after being admitted to the Massachusetts bar, 
removed to Hallowell, where he began the practice of law in 
1795. He was a man of genial disposition and delightful 
personality, and was always known as "Squire Perley." 

The following discriminating estimate of Mr. Perley's 
professional career, from the pen of Charles Dummer, Esq., 
for many years a highly esteemed citizen of Hallowell, will be 
of especial interest in this connection : 

"Intelligent, full of life, possessing high social qualities, 
Mr. Perley gathered around him many friends and very soon 
found himself actively engaged in the responsibilities of life. 
This current of business continued to enlarge with the growth 
of the community around him. Steadfast friends, uninter- 
rupted health, and persevering application gave encouragement 
to all his hopes. He was distinguished for sound common 
sense; he possessed varied powers; his quickness of perception 



138 Old Hallow ell on the Kemiebec 

and constant good humor attracted early attention. . . . 
Without marked distinction for legal learning, he would be more 
truthfully described as a successful practitioner of law, main- 
taining a respectable position, whether discharging faithfully 
the duty that grows out of the ordinary collection of debts, or 
unfolding the powers of argument before the jury or the court." 

Mr. Willis states that "Mr. Perley was faithful and firm in 
advancing the interests of the town where he resided." He 
represented Hallowell in the General Court of Massachusetts 
in 1804, and again in 1816; and "discharged with integrity all 
his political duties. Uniformly patriotic, with enlightened zeal 
he always upheld the best interests of our country." ' 

One marked characteristic of "Squire Perley" was his 
ready wit and gift of repartee. His bo7i mots and happy hits 
were repeated over and over by his colleagues of the Kennebec 
bar; but Mr. Perley himself "appeared wholly unconscious of 
any such power of utterance. Unmoved and even sedate in 
manner, he seemed surprised, at the moment, with the delight 
which the circle around him manifested." ^ By this felicity 
and spontaneity of expression, Mr. Perley acquired the 
reputation of being "the greatest wit of the Kennebec bar." 

Nathaniel Perley married Mary, daughter of Richard and 
Judith Dummer of Newbury, and sister of Hon. Nathaniel 
Dummer of Hallowell. The Perleys resided in the fine old 
house on Second Street, afterwards successively occupied by 
Mr. Jesse Aiken and Mr. Elbridge Rollins, and now owned by 
Miss Clara Stintson. The home of the Perleys was the abode 
of hospitality and generous social life. The genial character of 
the host, his remarkable conversational powers and ready wit 
added great attraction to his hospitable board. Many distin- 
guished people were entertained by Squire Perley and his 
charming wife. Among their frequent guests were Chief 
Justice Parsons and his wife; and other judges and many noted 
lawyers of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, whose duties 
brought them to the Kennebec. 

Nathaniel Perley died in 1824. Mrs. Mary Dummer 

' The Law, the Courts, and the Lawyers of Maine, p. 202. 
* Charles Dummer, Esq. 



Wilde 139 

Parley died January 7, 1838. Their last surviving daughter 
was Louisa, the wife of John P. Dumont, Esq., of Hallowell. 



Hon. Samuel Sumner Wilde, who has been called "one of 
the greatest ornaments of the Maine bar," was born February 
5, 1771. He was the son of Daniel and Anna Sumner Wilde 
of Taunton, Massachusetts. In 1789, he completed his colle- 
giate course at Dartmouth, and then read law with Judge 
Barnes of Taunton. In 1799, he removed to Hallowell; and, 
"having no superior at the bar, and indeed no equal," he built 
up a large practice and soon attained a position which reflected 
great honor upon the town, and the county of Kennebec. 

In speaking of Judge Wilde's professional career at 
Hallowell, Chief Justice Shaw once said: "By the course of 
his early studies, and by extensive practice at the bar with 
eminent lawyers, his contemporaries, he acquired, before his 
elevation to the bench, a deep and thoroughly accurate knowl- 
edge of the great principles and rules of the common law in all 
its various ram_ifications. . . . Practicing in a part of the 
Commonwealth where great interests were drawn in question, 
depending on the law of real property; where the highest 
honors and awards of the profession awaited the practicer who 
was best versed in the knowledge and practice of this branch 
of the law, his mind became so familiar with its minute and 
apparently subtle distinctions that he could apply them 
promptly, like simplest principles, to complicated cases." ' 

In 1 81 7, when the brilliant reputation of this early and 
most successful practitioner at Hallowell had reached its 
height, the honor of an appointment as Judge of the Supreme 
Court was conferred upon him. Judge Wilde continued to 
reside in Hallowell until the separation of Maine from Massa- 
chusetts, in 1820, at which time he removed to Newburyport. 
For thirty-five years he adorned the bench "by sound learning, 
undeviating impartiality, and great dignity of deportment." 
At the advanced age of eighty years, he resigned his office; 



The Law, the Courts, and the Lawyers of Maine, p. 176. 



140 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

and the bench and bar, at that time, manifested by appropriate 
resolutions, "their high sense of his ability and uprightness 
through the whole course of his official judicial life." The 
degree of LL. D. was conferred upon Judge Wilde by 
Bowdoin, Dartmouth, and Harvard colleges. 

In 1792, Samuel Sumner Wilde married Miss Eunice 
Cobb, daughter of General David Cobb of Taunton. Their 
children were: William Cobb, b. 1792; Eunice Cobb, b. 1794, m. 
Williams Emmons; Samuel Sumner, b. 1796; Eleanor Bradish, 
b. 1798, m. John Wendell Mellen, of Cambridge; George 
Cobb, b. 1800, m. Ann Janette Druce, daughter of Lemuel 
Brown, of Wrentham; Caroline Elizabeth, b. 1802, m. Hon. 
Caleb Gushing of Newburyport; Henry Jackson, b. 1804, m. 
Ellen Maria Whitney of Wrentham; Isaac Parker, b. 1808; 
Ann Sumner, b. 1809, m. first, Frederick W. Doane, second, 
Robert Farley of Ipswich. 

Judge Wilde and his family resided in the fine old mansion 
known to a later generation as the Emmons house. This 
house, in point of architectural style and interior finish, was 
one of the most beautiful in the town. Its long piazzas, its 
spacious hall, its arched doorways, and its elegant drawing 
room with colonial mantlepieces and elaborately carved wood- 
work, gave to the house an air of state and elegance not 
surpassed in any of the old-time mansions of Hallowell. 

In his home life Judge Wilde was always cordial, genial 
and affable. His intercourse with his fellowmen was always 
marked by warmth and kindness of heart, and courtesy of 
manner. "The private and personal worth of this eminent 
magistrate was in strict hannony with his official merits, and, 
indeed, formed a part of them. His bearing upon the bench 
indicated the man. Simple in his tastes, of industrious habits, 
of a cheerful spirit, of warm domestic affections, and strong 
religious faith, he never lost his interest in life, and nothing of 
him but his body grew old. He was frank, direct, calmly 
courageous, and of unalloyed simplicity; caring as little to 
conceal what he was, as to affect what he was not." ' 

' Willis' The Law, the Courts, and the Lawyers of Maine, p. 17S. 




Judge Samcei. Su:siner Wilde 



Bond 141 

Mrs. Eunice Wilde died June 6, 1826. Judge Samuel S. 
Wilde died June 25, 1855. 



The first student who fitted for Harvard at the Hallowell 
Academy was Thomas Bond. He was a young man of excep- 
tional ability who had maintained high rank during his course of 
study. After his graduation from college in 1801, he entered 
the law office of Samuel Wilde in Hallowell, in order to prepare 
himself for practice at the Maine bar. Thomas Bond was the 
son of Thomas Bond of Augusta, and a descendant of one of 
the early settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts. He was a 
diligent student, and evinced such aptitude for the law that, 
upon his admittance to the bar, Mr. Wilde at once took him 
into partnership with himself. Mr. Bond thus began his 
practice in Hallowell under the most favorable auspices. "No 
better proof," writes Mr. Willis, "can be furnished of the high 
qualities of Mr. Bond than this substantial token of his merit." 

On December i, 1805, Mr. Bond married Lucretia F. 
Page, daughter of Dr. Benjamin Page. The children of this 
marriage were: Francis Eugene, born February 7, 1808; died 
September 5, 1840. Lucretia, born January 17, 1810; married 
Dr. Franklin Page of Augusta; died 1846. Caroline M., born 
January 9, 181 5, married Thomas H. Sanford of New York; died 
January 11, 1853. 

During the first years of their married life, the Bonds lived 
in the house south of the Hallowell House. Mr. Bond after- 
wards built the large and handsome house on Warren Street, 
subsequently occupied by the Glaziers, and still later by the 
Atkins family. 

In 181 5, Samuel Wilde was appointed to the Supreme 
Bench ; and the whole of the extensive law business of the firm 
of Wilde and Bond was from that time conducted by the junior 
partner. "His labors became severe and responsible; it was a 
hard task to sustain the structure which had rested on the 
athletic shoulders of Wilde; but Mr. Bond acquitted himself 
with abihty, both in the details of the office and the wider 
fields of the forum. For more than twenty years he maintained 



142 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

a high and honorable position at the bar and in society, faith- 
fully fulfilling all trusts, and acquiring the reputation of a 
sound lawyer, an ingenious advocate, and an upright man." 

During all the years of arduous labor in his profession, 
Mr. Bond found time to devote to the political interests of his 
town and county. He represented Hallowell in the General 
Court of Massachusetts in 1813-14; and was a member of the 
Maine senate from Kennebec in 1822-23. 

Hon. Thomas Bond died suddenly, March 29, 1827. "The 
Supreme Judicial Court was then in session, and upon the 
announcement of his death, by Peleg Sprague, Judge Weston 
as a tribute of respect ordered an immediate adjournment of 
the court, and the bar resolved' to attend his funeral and wear 
crape upon the left arm for thirty days as a mark of respect for 
their deceased brother. The resolutions placed on record by 
the Kennebec bar have preserved the following tribute to the 
character of Mr. Bond: "His undeviating rectitude and distin- 
guished ability in the practice of his profession, the uniform 
sanity of his demeanor, the unstained purity of his private life 
and scrupulous discharge of every duty, secured to him the 
respect of the Bench, the affection of his brethren, the esteem 
of his acquaintances, and the confidence of the community." ' 



In 1 81 7, two years after Judge Wilde had been appointed 
to the Supreme Bench, and at the time when Thomas Bond 
was just rising into eminence at the Kennebec bar, another 
young lawyer of great promise opened an office in Hallowell. 
This was Peleg Sprague, afterwards the distinguished Judge of 
the District Court of the United States for Massachusetts. 

Peleg Sprague was born April 28, 1793, the son of Seth 
and Deborah Sprague of Duxbury, and a descendant of William 
Sprague who settled in Salem, in 1629. He was graduated 
"with prominent honor," from Harvard College in the brilliant 
class of 1 81 2. His "performance" at Commencement was a 
dissertation on "the Superiority of Modern Europe." 

' North's History of Augusta, p. 806. 



Sprague 143 

After his graduation, Mr. Sprague continued his studies at 
the law school of Judges Reeves and Gould, in Litchfield, 
Connecticut, which offered unusual advantages to the student at 
that time. In 181 5, he was admitted to the bar, and came first 
to Augusta, but two years later settled for the practice of his 
profession at Hallowell. 

"The bar of Kennebec," writes Willis, "contained able 
lawyers and advocates; among them were Judges Bridge and 
Fuller, Ruel Williams, Frederic Allen, Thomas Bond, and 
Timothy Boutelle. It required industry, perseverance, and a 
high ambition, as well as intellectual powers, to compete 
successfully with such men who had acquired the confidence of 
the communities in which they lived, by ability and honorable 
practice. But Mr. Sprague, nothing discouraged by such an 
array of talent, but rather stimulated by it, steadily and 
patiently waited for the success that was sure to follow a 
persistent and earnest endeavor to attain the higher ranks and 
honors of the profession. His agreeable and eloquent manner 
as an advocate, his acknowledged ability as a lawyer, soon 
introduced him to a profitable business. . . . The death in 
1827, of Mr. Bond, of the same town, who was enjoying the 
entire confidence of the people, in his profession, gave an 
accession to the engagements of Mr. Sprague, and a more 
prominent position. 

"Mr. Sprague's style of speaking, both at the bar and in 
public assemblies, was so entirely different from what the 
people in the county had been accustomed to hear, that it 
attracted them by its novelty, and interested them by its 
beauty. . . . And his popularity was not confined to the bar, 
but extended through the community, and made him a desirable 
candidate for public office. ... In 1820, he was elected a 
representative from Hallowell to the first legislature of the new 
state, and re-elected the subsequent year. His political course 
was now onward." ' In 1824, Mr. Sprague was elected to 
Congress from the Kennebec district; and again, to the 
Twentieth Congress. "During both of these terms, he engaged 

' Willis p. 628-9. 



144 



Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 



in debates on important questions, and always attracted atten- 
tion by his able and eloquent advocacy of the measures which 
he espoused." ' 

During his two terms as representative in congress, Mr. 
Sprague became so popular, both at home and in political 
circles at Washington, that in 1829, he was chosen senator to 
succeed General Chandler. His service in the senate was 
marked by unimpeachable integrity and distinguished honor; 
his reputation was that of an able, intrepid, sagacious, and 
eloquent statesman. 

On July 14, 1834, when Senator Sprague returned from 
Congress, he was given a great ovation by the people of the 
three sister towns of Hallowell, Augusta, and Gardiner. As 
soon as it was announced that Mr. Sprague would arrive by 
the stage route from Brunswick, there was a spontaneous 
outburst of enthusiasm. The people of Hallowell assembled 
on horses, in chaises, barouches, and other carriages, and were 
joined by a cavalcade of thirty or forty riders on horseback and 
a large number of chaises from Augusta. This wildly enthu- 
siastic retinue then proceeded to Gardiner, where the towns- 
people had formed in procession. Here an elegant barouche 
drawn by four handsome gray horses, awaited the home-coming 
senator. Accompanied in this carriage by Judge Kingsbury 
and Hon. George Evans, Senator Sprague was escorted to 
Hallowell like an old Roman returning in triumph from his 
conquests. The cavalcade was mile in length; and it was 
said that every presentable carriage in the three towns was in 
evidence on this occasion. The procession passed through 
streets decorated with flags and patriotic mottos, and the 
saying, "I AM NO MAN'S MAN," from Senator Sprague's 
speech on the President's Protest, was conspicuous on the 
banners. 

After the arrival of Mr. Sprague and his constituents at 
the Hallowell House, a speech of welcome was made by Mr. 
Richard H, Vose of Augusta. Mr. Sprague then addressed, 
from the balcony, the enthusiastic crowds below, and paid a 

' Willis, p. 628-g. 



Warren 145 

warm tribute to the constancy of the Whig party in support of 
the principles it professed. 

In 1835, Mr. Sprague resigned his seat in the Senate and 
established himself in the practice of his profession at Boston. 
New honors here awaited him; and in 1841, on the retirement 
of the venerable and honored Judge Davis from the bench of 
the District Court of the United States, Mr. Sprague was 
appointed to that office. In 1847, Harvard College bestowed 
upon Judge Sprague the degree of LL. D. 

Judge Sprague married Sarah Deming of Utica, New 
York, a native of Berlin, Connecticut. They had three sons 
and one daughter: Charles F., born May 25, 1819, died 1840, 
aged twenty-one years; Seth Edward, born April 12, 1822, a 
graduate of Harvard in i84i,and of the Law School in 1843, 
and afterwards clerk of the United States District Court in 
Massachusetts; Francis Peleg, graduate of Harvard Medical 
School in 1857; and Sarah, born May 7, 1828, wife of George 
P. Upham, a merchant of Boston. ' 

A contemporary journal in writing of Senator Sprague, 
makes this comment: "Mr. Sprague richly merits all the 
honors that have been bestowed upon him. Throughout his 
public life his course has been consistent, honorable to himself, 
and useful to his country. In private life his character is 
unexceptionable. Such men are invaluable. They cannot be 
too highly estimated." 



Hon. Ebenezer T. Warren, born at Foxborough, Massachu- 
setts, September 11, 1779, was the son of Ebenezer and Ann 
Warren. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1800, and 
admitted to the bar in 1803. He soon after established himself 
at Hailowell ; and by his ability, his generous nature, his cordial 
manners, and his devoted public spirit, he acquired a large 
practice and attained an eminent place in the community. 

Mr. Warren married Abiah, daughter of William and 
Tryphena Morse. Their children were: Ann Tryphena, born 

' The Law, the Courts, and the Lawyers of Maine, p. 634. 



146 Old Hallows II on the Kennebec 

November 14, 1810, and John, born September 20, 1816. 
Being possessed of ample means, Mr. Warren built for his 
home the large, handsome house on the corner of Central and 
Warren Streets, known in more recent years as the main 
building of the Classical School. The beautiful home of the 
Warrens was maintained in elegance and luxury; and traditions 
still exist of the delightful hospitality dispensed beneath its 
roof. When the house was first completed, an old-time house- 
warming was given at which a large number of the friends and 
relatives of Mr. and Mrs. Warren were sumptuously enter- 
tained. Soon after this, a "splendid ball" was given in honor 
of the daughter of the house. Miss Anne Warren. It is stated 
by Rev. John S. C. Abbott that in "style of living, dress, and 
address," the Warrens were "ornaments to society." 

In addition to the erection of his fine residence, Mr. 
Warren built two blocks of stores in Hallowell. He was 
deeply interested in the development of the place and exerted 
all his efforts to promote its financial prosperity. He was 
president of the Hallowell Bank when that unfortunate insti- 
tution became insolvent ; and he unselfishly sacrificed the most 
of his own property to sustain the credit of this bank. 

In the hope of retrieving his fortunes, Mr. Warren under- 
took the business of settling some war claims in Illinois that 
had been granted to the soldiers of 181 2. In order to transact 
this business, Mr. Warren was obliged to go to Illinois; and 
while in that state, he died very suddenly in August, 1829, from 
an illness resulting from exposure during a night's drive across 
the prairies. 

The news of the sad and unexpected death of Mr. Warren 
cast a great gloom over his townspeople in Hallowell where he 
was greatly beloved and esteemed. Through his death the 
legal profession of Maine suffered an acknowleged loss; and 
"resolutions" expressive of sorrow and lasting esteem were 
passed by the bar of which he was a worthy and honored 
member. 

After the death of Mr. Warren, the beautiful house that 
he had built for his family passed through the hands of several 
successive owners. It was occupied, at one time, by Judge 



Otis 147 

Samuel Wells, afterwards by Colonel Thomas Andrews, then 
passed into the possession of Hon. John Otis. It next became 
the residence of Moses Lakeman; and was subsequently 
purchased and enlarged for the use of the Hallowell Classical 
School. 

The Hon. John Otis was born August 3, 1801. He was 
the son of Oliver and Betsey Stanchfield Otis of Leeds, Maine, 
and was descended from the Otis family of Massachusetts of 
which James Otis and Harrison Gray Otis were representative 
members. With this ancestry behind him, and having the 
advantages of a liberal education, Mr. Otis naturally possessed 
those personal and mental qualities which won for him the 
sincere regard of his fellow townsmen, and rendered him 
successful in his professional life. He was graduated from 
Bowdoin College in 1823, read law with Peleg Sprague, and 
commenced practice in Hallowell in 1826, at the time when 
Mr. Sprague was just entering upon his congressional career. 

In 1824, the forty-eighth anniversary of the American 
Independence was celebrated with much interest by the 
citizens of Hallowell; and Mr. Otis, then a young law student 
in the office of Judge Peleg Sprague, was invited to deliver the 
Fourth of July oration. "The day was uncommonly fine; and 
everything concurred to render the celebration highly inter- 
esting and satisfactory. At eleven o'clock a procession was 
formed at Mr. Dillingham's hotel, and proceeded to the Rev. 
Mr. Gillet's meeting-house, where a pure and classical oration 
was pronounced by Mr. John Otis, in which he entered into an 
examination of the present state of liberty in our own country 
and in Europe, and the reciprocal influence of the institutions 
and political systems of the two continents upon each other. 
The style was clear and forcible and the sentiments highly 
patriotic." ' 

The celebration of the Fourth in Hallowell was always a 
great event, which commanded the best talent of the town and 
called out large audiences. It is interesting to know that on 

' American Advocate, July lo, 1824. 



148 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

the day of Mr. Otis' oration "the wall pews and galleries were 
reserved for the ladies, whose presence added great eclat to 
the occasion." 

On January 12, 1831, Mr. Otis married Harriet Frances 
Vaughan, daughter of Colonel William Oliver Vaughan, and 
granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan. The children of 
this marriage were: William Oliver, b. December 18, 1831, d. 
January i, 1888; Maria, b. September 30, 1834, m. William H. 
Merrick, October 18, 1854; John, b. December 24, 1836, d, 
October 16, 1838; Frances, b. May 17, 1839, d. June 13, 1839; 
Benjamin Vaughan, b. May 15, 1840, d. September 24, 1861; J 
John, b. July 16, 1843; Frances, b. September 25, 1845, d. t 
December, i860. 

Mrs. Harriet Frances Vaughan Otis died July 26, 1846. 
On August 21, 1848, Mr. Otis married Ellen Grant, daughter 
of Captain Samuel and Elizabeth Frances Vaughan Grant. 
Mrs. Ellen Grant Otis was a granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin 
Vaughan, and a cousin of the first wife of Mr. Otis. The 
children of John and Ellen Grant Otis were: Samuel Grant, 
Mary, and Elizabeth Grant. 

Mr. Otis, a man of keen intellect, and of unusual legal abil- 
ity, possessed those qualities of mind that eminently fitted him 
for membership in a deliberative or legislative assembly. Like 
many of the eminent lawyers of his day, he became interested 
in politics, and was chosen to represent Hallowell in the state 
legislature. He soon rose to prominence in the Whig party, 
and became one of its recognized leaders. In 1841, he was 
appointed a member of the United States Commission on the 
North Eastern Boundary Question. In 1848, Mr. Otis was 
elected representative from the first district of Maine to the 
Thirty-first Congress, in which he "served with ability and 
distinction, and contributed in no small degree to the passage 
of the act reducing the high rate of postage." ' 

The Washington Correspondent of the Philadelphia In- 
quirer at this time wrote: "Hon. John Otis of Maine, at 
present acting as chairman of the Committee on Patents of the 

* Hon. Frederick Allen. 



Otis 149 

House of Representatives, is a man of splendid business 
capacity and pursues his object with a perseverance and energy 
sure to accomplish success." 

Mr. Otis' career in Washington was such as won for him 
many warm friends and admirers; and at the close of his last 
term of ofifice, the members of the House of Representatives 
arose in a body and cheered him as he left the hall. This was 
a spontaneous tribute in recognition of the public services and 
personal popularity of Mr. Otis. 

Hon. Frederick Allen, in his sketches of the ^^ Early 
Laivyers of Lmcoln and Kennebec Counties^' states that Mr. 
Otis was "bland and courteous in his manners and address; 
and distinguished for his kindness of heart and disposition." 
This kindliness was very forcibly shown in his relations with 
the young men and boys who worked for him or studied in his 
office. It is a well-known fact that Mr. Otis always gave a 
loan of five hundred dollars to any of the young men who 
desired it upon leaving his employ. Among the men whom 
Mr. Otis thus started in life, and whose subsequent careers 
must have proved a satisfaction to him, were Elihu Washburne, 
Secretary of State, and Minister to France in 1869-70, and 
General Oliver O. Howard, Maine's famous hero of the Civil 
War. 

In a letter recently written to Mr. Samuel G. Otis of 
Hallowell, General Howard pays a warm tribute to the bene- 
factor of his youth. This letter affords a pleasant glimpse into 
the home life of the Otis family, which many of the Hallowell 
friends will recognize as not only delightful but genuinely true. 
"Amongmy earliest recollections," writes General Howard, 
"was the devotion of my mother to her brother, John Otis, 
Esq., of Hallowell, Maine. She spoke of him often and of 
Aunt Frances, his wife. My mother always expressed a 
sisterly interest in everything that concerned his welfare. As 
the children came, one by one, William, Maria, Vaughan, and 
John, they seemed to me like a part of our own household. At 
least once a year, when the weather was warm and comfortable, 
your father was accustomed to take Aunt Frances, William, 
and Maria in his beautiful chaise and drive out twenty miles to 



150 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

Leeds to our home. His horse, harness, and carriage were 
finer than any others that came to our house. ... I can 
recollect your father's voice as he laughed and talked. It was 
a very sweet, cheery, strong voice. In conversation he had a 
charm about him that won men to his way of thinking, and a 
courtesy to women that was remarkable. . . . 

"My mother arranged with him when I was eleven years 
old to go to his home in Hallowell and do as my cousin, Addison 
Martin, had done, namely, take care of the horse and cow and 
stable and do all the ordinary chores which a man or boy would 
do for any household. I was to keep myself in proper trim to 
associate with my cousins, and was to go to school every day 
while school lasted. . . . 

"When your brother William, in 1850, was appointed to 
West Point as a cadet, your father was then a memxber of the 
House of Representatives. . . . William failed in his physical 
examination. His chest was not broad enough to meet the 
requirement in physical development. I understood that your 
father said he would send a young man in his place who was 
strong enough physically to pass the examination. He had me 
in mind when he made that remark. I was nineteen years of 
age when I received the appointment. ... I never saw 
very much of your father after his second marriage though I 
knew your mother very well when we were both children. 
She was a very frank, hearty, and handsome girl and quite a 
favorite among the young people about the time I left Hallowell 
for my home in Leeds. . . . 

"At one time your brother William and myself with a few 
other boys were sitting in a pew in the gallery of the Old 
South Church. I think we must have whispered, laughed, and 
probably made some little disturbance as boys sometimes do 
during the service. One of the deacons of the church came to 
the pew, seized each boy by the collar and led him out, and, if 
I remember rightly, sent us home. My uncle, your father, was 
very much offended at this act, and would never go to that 
church again. When he did go to church, he attended the 
Unitarian, which was nearer to his house than the Old South. 
Aunt Frances was very much afflicted because of this jar in 



Emmons 1 5 1 

the church relationship. With his consent, however, she always 
attended the Old South with us children, and kept up her 
relationship there. This one incident indicated to me your 
father's readiness to defend his family. What he resented was 
the violent conduct of the deacon in the presence of the whole 
congregation towards William and myself. He would have 
thanked him for reporting our misbehavior, or any misbehavior 
on our part. 

"Now I think I can give you the impressions which I have 
had of your good father all my life. He was a man of excellent 
character, of high standing in the community, a good represen- 
tative in Congress, always belonging to the Whig party. He 
was a great reader, fond of English publications, and kept 
abreast of the times in everything that concerned the public 
good. It seems to me to-day that a member of Congress like 
him was held in higher esteem by the entire district in which 
he lived than are representatives of to-day, ... At home 
no father could be more thoroughly gentle and kind. It was 
a joy to him to have his children come into the library to 
consult him about their studies. I remember how he aided me 
in my early attempts at composition by a few suggestions and 
well chosen words. ... I have always loved my Uncle 
John; and he has been a model to me, among our numerous 
relatives, a model of good breeding, of virtue, of culture, of 
refinement, of manliness." 

The Hon. John Otis died October 17, 1856. After his 
death, the family removed from the Otis' house on Central 
Street to the old Grant mansion which is now in the possession 
of Mr. Samuel Grant Otis and Miss Elizabeth Otis. 



Judge Williams Emmons was the son of the Rev. Nathaniel 
and Martha Emmons of Franklin, Massachusetts. Nathaniel 
Emmons, the father of Williams Emmons, was a graduate of 
Yale in 1767, and a congregational minister who had the very 
remarkable record of having occupied the pulpit for seventy 
years. He was a man of distinction in his day; and his sermons 



152 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

and other writings were published m several volumes after his 
death in 1840. He lived to the great age of ninety-six years, 
and always wore the small-clothes and cocked-up hat of the 
eighteenth century. Of the Rev. Nathaniel Emmons, D. D., 
Mr. John H. Sheppard writes as follows: "I well remember 
the admiration this venerable man excited, as he entered the 
sanctuary in Hallowell, three years before his death. It 
seemed as though Elijah, the Tishbite, had come again from 
Mt. Carmel, to point out a httle cloud of refreshment soon to 
spread over our eastern horizon, when this venerable Patriarch 
suddenly rose among us." 

Williams Emmons, son of Rev. Nathaniel, was born in 
Franklin, May 2, 1784. He was graduated in 1805, with high 
honors, from Brown University. At the close of his college 
course, he came to Hallowell, and entered the law office of 
Judge Samuel Wilde. On finishing his law studies, Mr. 
Emmons began practice at Brown's Corner, Vassalborough, 
but soon removed to Augusta, where he entered into partnership 
with Mr. Benjamin Whitwell. In 1832, Mr. Emmons was 
elected member of the House of Representatives from Augusta; 
and, in 1835-6, he was senator for Kennebec County. He 
removed from Augusta to Hallowell in 1835. 

Mr. Emmons was recognized as an able and well-read 
lawyer. He prepared his cases with conscientious painstaking, 
and, by his clear logical reasoning, commended himself to both 
the jury and the bench. His integrity, his soundness of 
judgment, and his thorough knowledge of the technicalities 
of the law were unquestioned. He was frequently appointed 
as a referee in difficult cases, and his decisions were rarely 
disputed. He succeeded Judge Fuller as Judge of Probate 
in 1841. 

In private life. Judge Emmons was highly esteemed as a 
friend and neighbor. North speaks of him as a lawyer "of 
pleasing address, upright and honorable in practice; a worthy 
citizen and a kind, considerate man of pure unblemished 
character." 

Judge Emmons married. May 24, 181 3, Eunice, daughter 
of Judge Samuel Wilde. Their children were: Delia, born 



Emmons 153 

March 8, 1 814, married, September 5, 1838, Rev. Benjamin 
Tappan; and Eleanor Bradish Wilde, born July 7, 181 5, died 
1845. Mrs. Eunice Williams died in 1821; and, on September 
22, 1823, Judge Emmons married Lucy Vaughan, daughter of 
Dr. Benjamin and Sarah Manning Vaughan. Their children 
were: Lucy Maria, born September 13, 1824; Martha Williams, 
born May 11, 1827, died January 27, 1884; Nathaniel Williams, 
born June 10, 1830, died October 17, 1831; Henry Vaughan, 
born November 3, 1832; Ellen Sarah, born May 25, 1836. 

Judge Emmons and his family resided in the fine old 
mansion that had been previously occupied by Judge Wilde, 
Gideon Farrell, Esq., and Judge Peleg Sprague. The traditions 
of hospitality and cultured social life that had always been 
associated with this house were fully maintained during the 
many years of its occupancy by the Emmons family. The life 
here lived was a fine example of that simple and unostentatious 
culture and refinement that marked the homes of many of the 
old families of Hallowell. All of the members of the Emmons 
household were actively interested in the church, the library, 
and all the hterary and philanthropic movements in the town. 
Miss Lucy Emmons was for many years librarian of the 
Hallowell Social Library, giving her services gratuitously and 
enthusiastically to this work. 

The Rev. Henry Vaughan Emmons is a graduate of 
Amherst College, and a man of rare scholarly attainments. 
He married September 5, 1855, Annie Shepard, daughter of 
Rev. George Shepard of Bangor. Their children are : Williams, 
Lucy Vaughan, Elizabeth Fuller, Henry Manning, and Mary 
Williams. Mr. Emmons is now the pastor of the Congrega- 
tional church at Northboro, Massachusetts. 

Judge Williams Emmons died at Hallowell, October 3, 
1855. Mrs. Williams Emmons died March 18, 1869. The 
Emmons mansion, which was in some respects the most 
beautiful old house in Hallowell was unfortunately destroyed 
by fire, and with it perished many valuable heirlooms, including 
portraits, books, letters, and other valuable papers, the loss of 
which must always be deplored. 



154 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Hon. William Clark was born in Hallowell, October 12, 
1788. He was the son of Isaac and Alice Philbrook Clark, and 
grandson of Deacon Pease Clark. William Clark was graduated 
from Bowdoin College in 1810 with a well-merited reputation 
for superior scholarship. The natural tendency of his mind is 
indicated by the subject of his commencement part: "The 
Moral Effects of Philosophical Investigation." 

The Bowdoin College records state that Mr. Clark was 
"capable of profound research, and that his retentive memory 
enabled him to preserve for ready use the results of his 
extensive reading and study. As a lawyer, he ranked with 
the foremost representatives of the Kennebec bar. His profes- 
sional labors were characterized by undeviating integrity, a 
clear intellectual insight, and a profound acquaintance with the 
principles of the law. As a legislator, he was zealous and 
faithful. His immediate influence was great, and was exercised 
for the right both in action and debate." 

Mr. William Clark married, August 2, 181 8, Elizabeth 
Bodwell Morse, daughter of William and Tryphena Morse, a 
woman of superior ability and most attractive personality. 
Their children were : William Henry, Elizabeth, Charlotte Ann, 
and Mary Mann. Mr. William Henry Clark, a graduate of 
Bowdoin (1837), studied law, and removed to San Francisco, 
where he had a successful professional career. Charlotte Clark 
married Hon. George S. Peters of Ellsworth. Miss Elizabeth 
Clark and Miss Mary Clark are now living in Waltham, 
Massachusetts. 

Hon. William Clark, after the death of his wife, whose loss 
he felt severely, withdrew from active participation in public 
and professional life, and spent his remaining years in almost 
complete seclusion. He occupied his time in his favorite 
pursuits, which included the studies of chemistry, geology, 
mathematics, and philosophy. He never lost his interest in 
abstruse points of law, or in discussing them in his own home 
with his old associates of the Kennebec bar. "Thus busily, 
yet quietly," writes his biographer, "did this sorrow-stricken 
man, this intellectual and interesting recluse, descend into the 
vale of years. He died May 18, 1855, at the age of sixty-six." 



Paine 155 

In the year 1834, the mantle of the law, many times honored 
in Hallowell, fell upon the shoulders of Henry W. Paine, Esq. 
It is probable that no advocate with a more astute mind than 
that of Mr. Paine ever stood before the Kennebec bar. His 
keen insight into abstruse and knotty points of the law seemed 
intuitive and almost infallible. It is stated that he was often 
called upon as Referee and Master of Chancery in a great 
number of difficult and complicated cases, and that his decis- 
ions, which often involved the unravelling of tangled webs of 
testimony and the consideration of the nicest and most delicate 
questions of the law, were always "luminous and masterly." 

This eminent lawyer was born August 30, 1810, in 
Winslow, Maine. He graduated at Waterville College, studied 
law with William Clark, Esq., of Hallowell, and for one year in 
the law school of Harvard University. He began his profes- 
sional life at Hallowell, where, during the next twenty years, 
he acquired a practice not surpassed by any other Maine lawyer. 

In 1854, to the great regret of his many friends in 
Hallowell, Mr. Paine removed to Cambridge and opened a 
law office in Boston. His practice and his fame as a lawyer 
steadily increased; and he became known as one of the ablest 
advocates of the Massachusetts bar. About 1875, Mr. Paine 
withdrew from active practice in the courts on account of ill 
health and partial deafness, but retained for ten years his office 
as lecturer on ''the law of real property" at the law school of 
Boston University. Mr. Paine was especially noted for his 
tact and never-failing courtesy in the prosecution of his law 
cases. The following story of his ready wit is often told in 
Hallowell: 

On one occasion during Mr, Paine's term of service as 
county attorney, a man who had been indicted in Kennebec 
county for arson, was tried and acquitted by the jury on the 
ground that he was an idiot. After the trial, the judge sought 
to reconcile Mr. Paine to the verdict by some explanatory 
remarks. "Oh, I am quite satisfied, your Honor," said Mr, 
Paine, "with the acquittal of the defendant. He has been tried 
by a jury of \{vs, peers!' 

Mr. Paine married. May, 1837, Miss Lucy E. Coffin, of 



156 Old Hallowell o?i the Kennebec 

Newburyport, a lady of rare mental endowments and endearing 
personality. Their daughter, Miss Jennie Warren Paine, is 
remembered with warm affection and admiration by the friends 
of her girlhood. In Cambridge, she was recognized as a 
thorough and brilliant student, especially in the languages and 
the sciences. She was said by Agassiz to have the brightest 
mind of any young woman he had ever met. Mrs. Paine and 
her daughter were both interested in all philanthropic and 
charitable movements, and were devoted members of the First 
Parish Church of Cambridge. 



William Belcher Glazier was born at Hallowell, June 29, 
1827. He was the son of Franklin Glazier, Esq., well known 
as the head of the publishing house of Glazier, Masters, and 
Smith. Endowed with unusual mental ability and a most 
engaging personality, this gifted youth grew up in the midst of 
stimulating influences, and his talents matured early in his life. 
He graduated from Harvard in 1847, at the age of twenty 
years. He read law in Hallowell with Henry W. Paine, Esq., 
was admitted to the bar in 1850, and speedily built up a 
reputation as a successful lawyer, first in Newcastle and after- 
wards in his native town. In 1855, seeking a wider field for 
his professional labors, Mr. Glazier removed to Cincinnati, 
Ohio, where he continued the practice of law until his death 
in 1870. 

In addition to his brilliant professional attainments, Mr. 
Glazier possessed unusual literary and poetic talent. He was 
an esteemed contributor to the Knickerbockei- Magazine, and 
the author of a volume of verse published in Hallowell in 1853. 
Mr. Glazier's poetic work was highly commended by Mr. 
William Cullen Bryant, who selected the lines entitled Cape 
Cottage, as a representative poem for the Library of Poetry 
and Song. 

William Belcher Glazier married, at St. Paul's church, 
Cincinnati, January i, 1863, Margaret Lowry, a lady of Scotch 
parentage, of Shelby County, Kentucky. Two children of 
this marriage are Margaret Lowry, now Mrs. Louis Adams of 




Judge Henry Knox Baker 



Baker 157 

Melford, Ohio, and William L. Glazier, Superintendent of the 
City Water Works, Newport, Kentucky. 



The long and honorable career of Judge Baker in Hallowell 
covers a period of eighty-six years ; and the impress of his work 
and character remains distinctly marked upon our newspapers, 
our public schools, our libraries, our banks, our courts, our 
benevolent institutions, our churches, and all that constitutes 
the well-being of the town. 

When Henry Knox Baker first came, as a youth of four- 
teen, to Hallowell, he entered a printing office as an apprentice; 
and before he was twenty-one, he was duly installed as editor 
of the Hallowell Gazette and afterwards as editor of the 
Americaji Advertiser. In 1836, he began the study of law in 
the office of Samuel Wells, and in 1840, was admitted to the 
bar. He represented the town of Hallowell in the Maine 
Legislature in 1842 and 1844, and again in 1854. In 1855, he 
was appointed Judge of Probate, an office which he held for 
twenty-six years. He was also the founder and, for forty-five 
years, the treasurer of the Hallowell Savings Institution. 

Judge Baker was deeply interested in all educational and 
philanthropic work; and his work for the Industrial School, 
and his services as chairman of the public school committee, 
have long been recognized. He was also an earnest supporter 
of the mission of the public library in Hallowell. From his 
youth, Judge Baker had been a genuine lover of books. He 
possessed the critical and literary instinct, and was himself a 
ready writer. His published works consist of poems; bio- 
graphical and historical essays; sketches of foreign travel; a 
valuable work on hymnology, entitled Studies In Sacred Song; 
and The Hallowell Book, compiled after he was ninety years 
of age. For half a century Judge Baker was a faithful and 
devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; and his 
whole life was an example of practical and consistent Chris- 
tianity. It has been truly said that "Hallowell never had a 
citizen of higher integrity or more constant devotion and 
usefulness than Judge Baker." 



158 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Henry Knox Baker was born in Canaan (now Skowhegan), 
December 2, 1806. His father was Amos Baker, a soldier of 
the Revokition, and a member of the Life Guard of General 
Washington. His mother was Betsey Weston, a member of 
the prominent Skowhegan family of that name. On November 
15, 1835, Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Miss Sarah W. 
Lord, daughter of Ephraim and Sally Dennis Lord of Hallowell, 
and a lineal descendant of Lieutenant James Lord, a Revolu- 
tionary hero who led his company in the battle of Bunker Hill. 

Mrs. Baker was a rarely gifted woman of charming 
personality and brilliant mental endowments. Her devoted 
motherhood left its imprint upon her own family; and her 
fondness for other young people, and the unusual felicity of 
the welcome with which they were always greeted under her 
roof, rendered the Baker home one of the most alluring and 
enjoyable in the town. Many other children thus shared with 
the Baker family the helpful and elevating influences of a home 
where there was always an atmosphere of books, and where 
literary topics and the interesting questions of the day were 
freely discussed. 

When the Baker children were small, it was the custom of 
their father to read to them every Sunday afternoon from some 
instructive but always interesting book, the value of which 
was greatly enhanced by the fact that the children were not 
allowed to read it on any other day. They all, therefore, looked 
forward to the Sabbath, not with doleful anticipation, but as a 
bright and happy day set apart for something especially enjoy- 
able. Novels, however, were not allowed on Sunday; and on 
one woeful occasion the Baker children came to grief. It 
chanced that, on one quiet Sunday afternoon, the father and 
mother were suddenly disturbed by shrieks of uproarious 
laughter from the children's room above. The mother imme- 
diately went up-stairs to learn the cause of this unseemly mirth, 
and found her little daughters sitting upon the floor, cpnvulsed 
with paroxisms of laughter, while the naughty but hilarious 
Sanford read aloud to them the adventures of " 'Bimleck," from 
the pages of Neighbor Jackivood. The book was mildly but 
firmly taken from his unwilling hands; and the mother, we 




Mrs. Sarah Lord Bakkr 



Baker 1 59 

know, had a bit of a heartache as she departed with the alluring 
story. 

But notwithstanding her devotion to her family and the 
careful and judicious training which she gave her children, Mrs. 
Baker was not a woman who lived within the four square walls 
of her own home. Her horizon was not limited, but had a 
broad outlook on the world at large. She took an active part 
in all the educational, patriotic, and philanthropic movements 
in Hallowell. She was, for many years, the efificient president 
of the time-honored Benevolent Society, and was also an able 
and judicious worker in the temperance cause. She was a 
devoted member of the Old South Church, and gave her 
gracious and faithful services to the younger children of the 
Sunday school for many years. By her strong personality, her 
brilliant mental gifts, her heartsome hospitality, her generous 
charity, and her devoted religious life, Mrs. Baker has left an 
impress upon our community not soon to be effaced. 

The sons and daughters of the Baker family, true to their 
natural inheritance, were all gifted with rare intellectual 
endowments. One daughter, Mrs. Martha Baker Dunn, is 
the author of three delightful novels. The Sleeping Beauty, 
Memory Street, and 'Lias's Wife, of a volume of essays, entitled 
Cicero In Maine, and of many poems marked by beauty of 
thought and expression. Mrs. Dunn is the wife of Mr. R. 
Wesley Dunn and resides in Waterville, Maine. In recognition 
of her literary work, she has been honored by Colby College 
with the degree of Doctor of Letters. Frances Weston Baker 
married Hon. Albert Rice of Rockland. Ellen B. Baker 
married Colonel Alfred E. Buck, member of Congress from 
Georgia, and United States Minister to Japan. Annie S. 
Baker married Frank A. Ham of Russell, Kansas. Harriet 
Dennis Baker married Mr. Edwin C. Dudley of Augusta. 
Sanford A. Baker married Miss Lulu Taylor and resides in 
Chicago. Judge Baker died in Hallowell, June 28, 1902, at the 
age of ninety-six. Mrs. Sarah Lord Baker died April 21, 1898. 



XI 

LATER REPRESENTATIVE FAMILIES 

"There prevailed in those days a high-tainded interest in every- 
thing that lifted men up." — Rev. Henry V. Emmons. 

^•^^N tracing the records of the old families of Hallowell, 
^1 we have gradually passed from the first to the second 
||l I quarter of the nineteenth century. During this period 
^-^^ many of the honored founders of the town had passed 
away, and new families had arrived that worthily maintained 
the traditions of their predecessors. A record of all of these 
interesting families, even in the briefest form, would require 
a lengthy volume, and afford material for the most insatiable 
genealogist; but the scope and aim of this story of Old 
Hallowell permit the mention of only a few of these later 
representative families. 

A notable and worthy connecting link between the earlier 
and the later generation is furnished in the life of the Honorable 
Samuel K. Oilman. A representative man of both periods. 
Judge Oilman went in and out among the people for sixty-seven 
years, living an open, unblemished, and useful life. His kindly 
nature, his genial conversation, his sincerity of heart, his 
integrity of character, and his devoted service to his church, 
his town, and his state, appealed to his fellow citizens in an 
unusual manner. 

Judge Oilman was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, May 2, 
1796. He was the son of Samuel and Martha Kinsman Oilman, 
and a descendant of Edward Oilman who came to Boston in 
the Diligent in 1638. Through one branch of their family, 
the Oilmans are descended from Oovernor Simon Bradstreet 
and his wife Anne Dudley, daughter of Oovernor Thomas 
Dudley, whose record has been traced back through a long 
line of illustrious ancestors to Robert Earl of Leicester, Lord 





^ 



Gilman i6l 

Justice of England, and, still farther, to Hugh the Great, son 
of Henry I. of France. 

Entirely unconscious of this formidable pedigree, the 
youthful Samuel grew up in the old town of Exeter. As a 
boy, he was studious and fond of books, and absorbed all that 
could be obtained from the curriculum of the common schools 
of his day. He supplemented his education by an apprentice- 
ship in a printing office, the advantages of which were apparent 
in his subsequent career. In the War of 1 812, he served in a 
military company from Exeter. In i8i5,he came to Hallowell, 
where he began life as a printer, and soon rose to the position 
of editor and proprietor of the famous old Hallowell paper 
called the American Advocate. 

The Advocate was, at this time, the only Republican 
paper east of Portland. In its columns, its editor ably main- 
tained the strict principles of his party in opposition to the 
Federalists, and successfully supported the movement for the 
separation of Maine from Massachusetts. 

In 1829, Mr. Gilman commenced the study of law with 
Hon. Peleg Sprague, and, in 1832, was admitted to the bar. 
He represented Hallowell for four years in the Maine legisy 
lature ; and during his term of office, he served as chairman of 
the finance committee with such zeal and care for the expendi- 
ture of money that he won for himself the title of "watch-dog 
of the treasury." Subsequently, from 1852 to 1872, he held 
the office of judge of the municipal court in Hallowell, and 
merited the reputation which he bore of being "a just judge 
whose sentences were tempered with mercy." Judge Gilman 
was also at one time, captain of the famous Hallowell Artillery, 
and afterwards major of his regiment. His tall, imposing 
figure and military bearing always commanded attention upon 
the field. 

When the Kennebec railroad was projected, Judge Gilman 
was chosen as the legal representative of the railroad company 
to purchase land and settle claims for damages in the town of 
Hallowell. He was afterwards appointed station agent, an 
office which he retained until his death, 1882. 

Judge Gilman's service to the church, in which he offici- 



1 62 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

ated as deacon for forty years, was characterized by the most 
constant devotion to the cause of religion and to the spiritual 
well-being of the community. It has been well said of him 
that "his honesty of purpose and geniality of companionship 
won for him the confidence of all with whom he came in contact 
in social, professional, or religious life." 

Judge Samuel K. Oilman married, April 25, 1821, Lucy 
Gorham Dummer. Their children were: Gorham Dummer, 
b. May 29, 1822, m. October 5, 1864, Lizzie A. Field; Sarah 
Maria, b. 1826, d. September 24, 1827; Lucy Dummer, b. 
August 2, 1828, d. July 10, 1838; Ellen Louisa Dummer, b. 
May 21, 1831, m. November 2, 1854, Austin Abbott of New 
York; Sarah Frances, b. January 15, 1835, d. November 26, 
1878; John Abbott, b. June 24, 1837, m. October 22, 1861, 
Louisa Sprague; Sophia Bond, b. July 8, 1840; Samuel 
Kinsman, b. August 8, 1842, m. September 5, 1865, Belle J. 
Wright, d. December 24, 1879. Judge Samuel K. Oilman died 
December 26, 1882. Mrs. Lucy Dummer Oilman died August 
14, 1875. 

Mrs. Lucy Dummer Oilman, the wife of Hon. Samuel K. 
Oilman, was born at Hallowell, August 20, 1802. She was the 
daughter of Gorham and Sarah Abbott Dummer, and grand- 
daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Kilton Dummer. Mrs. 
Oilman was a woman of rare character, whose influence was felt 
not only in the home where she was enshrined as wife and 
mother, but throughout the whole community in which she 
dwelt. It was Lucy Dummer, who, in her childhood, first led 
by the hand to school the little cousin destined to become 
known to fame as Jacob Abbott. Years afterwards, when 
Jacob became a celebrated story-writer, he named his famous 
"Lucy Books" in honor of Lucy Dummer, who was just such 
a sweet, lovable little girl as the charming heroine of the 
"Lucy Books." It was but natural that this charming and 
lovable little girl should grow into "a lady of many beautiful 
graces of character," and be "honored and beloved to a degree 
above the common lot." Although an invalid for many years, 
Mrs. Oilman was the inspiring center of a beautiful and 
delightful home life. She lived for her husband, her children. 



Dole 163 

and her friends; and the Christian graces, the neighborly kind- 
liness, and lovable personality of Mrs. Oilman will long be 
remembered in Hallowell. 

Judge and Mrs. Oilman lived to commemorate the fiftieth 
anniversary of their marriage. Their "golden wedding" was 
celebrated, April 24, 1871, in the old Dummer-Oilman house 
hallowed by many family associations. This house was built 
by Judge Nathaniel Dummer for his son Oorham Dummer. 
Here Mrs. Mary Kilton Dummer, the widow of Judge Dummer, 
lived in the family of her son. Here Lucy Dummer was born 
and married to Samuel K. Oilman. Here she spent her life; 
and here her sons and daughters passed their youthful years. 
Four generations of the family have thus lived under the roof 
of this ancestral dwelling. 

Mr. Oorham D. Oilman, the oldest son of Judge Oilman, 
was for twenty years a resident of Honolulu and was also 
Consul Oeneral for Hawaii in the United States. On his 
return to his own country, he, in company with his brother 
John A. Oilman, established the house of Oilman Brothers, 
which has since occupied a prominent place in the wholesale 
drug trade of Boston. 

Samuel Kinsman Oilman, a young man of unusual promise, 
also entered the drug business, and became a member of the 
firm of Oilman Brothers. His death, at the early age of 
thirty-seven, was deeply lamented. A Boston paper, in an 
obituary notice, dwells upon his "fine business capacities, his 
high sense of mercantile honor, his rare personal traits," and 
his "helpful sympathy and unstinted generosity" in the 
religious interests and philanthropic work of Boston. 

Miss Sophia Bond Oilman is the only representative of 
this family now residing in Hallowell. In her, the virtues, 
gifts, and graces of a long and honorable ancestry have found 
their full fruition. 



No resident of old Hallowell will be longer and more 
distinctly remembered for his genial qualities, his philanthropic 
spirit, and his marked individuality than Deacon Ebenezer 



'^164 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Dole. A godly man, with "a passion for giving," and a heart 
that never failed to respond to the call of the poor and 
oppressed. Deacon Dole was foremost in all the reforms of the 
day, and especially in the antislavery movement. With this 
cause the name of Deacon Dole will always be identified. The 
first antislavery society in Maine was organized at his house, 
November 18, 1833. Its officers were Ebenezer Dole, pres- 
ident; Paul Stickney, vice-president; R. Gardiner, treasurer; 
George Shepard, corresponding secretary; Richard D. Rice, 
recording secretary. These were the men who first flung the 
unpopular and oft-maligned banner of antislavery to the breeze. 
They boldly asserted "the rights of man, the atrocious wick- 
edness of slavery, and the duty to obey God and let the 
oppressed go free." They unhesitatingly received into their 
homes the young English emancipationist, George Thompson, 
when he visited Maine in 1834. On the fifteenth of October, 
Mr. Thompson spoke in Augusta. His meetings "were 
crowded with listeners who were delighted and inspired;" but 
he was denounced by the press as "a mischief-maker coming 
from England to teach Americans their politics." Mr. 
Thompson was threatened with personal violence, and was 
taken by his friends from a back window in Parson Tappan's 
house, and secretly conveyed to Hallowell. He was followed 
by the mob; and the church in which he spoke was attacked 
by the rioters in the evening. Quiet, however, was speedily 
enforced by the prompt and efficient action of the Hallowell 
police; and before an enthusiastic audience, Mr. Thompson 
completed his address. 

Deacon Dole bravely consecrated himself, his talents, and 
his money, to the antislaver) cause. He met with much 
opposition, even in his own church ; and not infrequently, when 
he lifted his voice in prayer for those in bondage, would some 
other good brother arise and leave the vestry. 

Ebenezer Dole was born in Newbury, March 12, 1776. 
He married Hannah, daughter of John and Eunice Balch, in 
1814. Their children were: Ebenezer, born 1815; Hannah, 
born 1 81 7; Nathaniel, born 1819; Anna, born 1822; Mary, born 
1824. Mrs. Dole was an estimable and charming woman and 




Deacon Ebenezer Dole 



Dole 165 

contributed largely to the religious and social life of the circle 
in which she moved. Her three daughters were bright, merry 
girls, endowed with rare musical gifts and unusual personal 
charms. The old residents of Hallowell still speak with 
unabated enthusiasm of the beauty and brilliancy of the 
daughters of Deacon Dole. 

The second of these daughters, Mrs. De La Croix, is still 
living in Oxford, North Carolina. In one of her recent letters 
to her Hallowell friends, Mrs. De La Croix gives this brief but 
suggestive glimpse of the early home life of the Dole family : 
"On Friday night, meetings were often held in our parlor that 
sixty yards of carpeting covered. Often on zero nights — no 
heat in the halls — we children brought from the chambers 
every chair in the house and took them back again afterwards. 
It never entered our heads to object, but the last trip was 
jubilant." 

Mrs. De La Croix then speaks of the social life of the 
young people, and adds: "As we were the deacon's daughters, 
we were not allowed to go to the Hallowell House dances, but 
sometimes we got off to Augusta." On one of the latter 
occasions Aunt Harriet Page, who lived "over the way," 
remarked, with some asperity, to one of the neighbors: "What 
do you suppose Mrs. Dole thinks when she sees those muslin 
dresses hanging on the clothes-horse in the winter.?" 

Notwithstanding her advanced age, the writer of this letter 
evidently retains much of her youthful spirit, for an Oxford 
paper states that "the most interesting old person in the 
county is Madame De La Croix, mother of Mr. Louis De La 
Croix;" and describes this aged daughter of Deacon Dole as 
"a woman of unusual mental force and vigor, an interesting 
and instructive talker, and altogether a most charming person- 
ality." 

Deacon Ebenezer Dole died June 14, 1847. After his 
death, his family removed to Newburyport. 

Daniel N. Dole, brother of Deacon Ebenezer Dole, married 
Nancy Gove of Edgecomb. He was a goldsmith, and manu- 
factured gold beads and silver spoons in his quaint little shop 
in Hallowell. He was very exact in his movements, and 



1 66 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

punctual in his hours of business ; and people were accustomed 
to set their clocks and watches by the time at which he passed 
certain points upon the street. He was succeeded in his busi- 
ness by his son Eben G. Dole, who became the well-known 
jeweler in Hallo well. 

The children of Eben G. Dole and his wife Margaret were: 
Mary C, Ellen B., Annie D., Daniel L., Samuel M., and 
Henry L. Dole. Mrs. Miranda Dole, the second wife of Eben 
G. Dole, and Miss Mary C. Dole were women of sincere piety, 
practical benevolence, and life-long devotion to the work of 
the church, and the patriotic and charitable associations of the 
town. The only member of this family now living is Mr. 
Henry L. Dole of Haverhill, Massachusetts, who retains the 
Dole residence for a summer home in Hallowell. 

Among the residents of Hallowell who were co-laborers in 
the antislavery, temperance, and other philanthropic causes, 
were Rev. Daniel Dole, Rev. Elias Bond, Rev. George Shepard, 
pastor of the Old South Church, Richard D. Rice, Samuel K. 
Gilman, Simon Page, James Gow, Rodney G. Lincoln, William 
Stickney, Ephraim Mayo, Samuel W. Huntington, Joseph 
Nason, Joseph Lovejoy, John Yeaton, Benjamin Wales, 
Charles Dummer, Dr. Nourse, Dr. Richardson, and many others 
whose names are well remembered. 

The Rev. Daniel Dole was well known as an early 
missionary to the Hawaiian Islands, and as the father of 
Sanford B. Dole, president of Hawaii. Another noble son 
of Hallowell who devoted his long life to the work of evangel- 
izing and civilizing the natives of the Hawaiian Islands was the 
Rev. Elias Bond. In 1840, Dr. Bond left Hallowell and, with 
his gifted and devoted wife, went to Kohala, where they both 
spent their lives in toil and self-sacrifice. Religion and educa- 
tion were the watchwords of "Father Bond," and his aspirations 
were grandly realized in the field to which he devoted his 
labors. 

James Gow was a Scotch tailor who came to Hallowell 
in 1793. He married, August 23, 1793, Lucy, daughter of 
Eliphalet Gilman, and built for his family residence, the house 



I 



Gow 167 

afterwards occupied by his son-in-law, Rodney G. Lincoln, and 
later by Orlando Currier. Throughout his life, he was a 
worthy and pious deacon in the Old South Church, where his 
place often seems to have been second only to that of the 
minister. He has been described as "a Scotch gentleman, 
with a heart overflowing with loving kindness." Every one 
loved him. It was often said that "he was too good to die; 
that he would be translated." Deacon Gow was a devoted 
adherent to the antislavery cause, and his house was always 
open to the colored man. It is said that the first fugitive 
slave that passed through Hallowell was cared for by Deacon 
Gow, and that the Rev. H. H. Garnet, the colored preacher 
of Troy, New York, was cordially entertained by Deacon and 
Mrs. Gow, much to the disapproval of their friends. 

Closely allied with the leading men of Hallowell in all 
philanthropic movements were the two brothers, Paul and 
William Stickney, sons of Thomas Stickney of Rowley, Massa- 
chusetts. William Stickney, born April 17, 1799, married 
Judith, daughter of Nathan Moody. Their children were: 
William, David, Joseph, and Caroline Elizabeth, who married, 
January 14, 1869, Mr. George H. Hoyt of Bradford, Massa- 
chusetts. Of William Stickney it has been said that "he was 
far-sighted, enterprising, industrious in business; yet his char- 
acter as a business man seemed to be swallowed up in that of 
the practical Christian. All things were to him secondary to 
the cause of true piety, which he sought to advance no more 
by precept than by example and charity. He seemed to dignify 
human nature by his beautiful life, the end of which is — 
peace." 

Captain Ephraim Mayo was born at Harwich, Massachu- 
setts, October 27, 1789. He was the son of Ebenezer Mayo 
ship-builder, who settled in Hallowell in 1793, and a lineal 
descendant of the Rev. John Mayo, first pastor of the old 
North Church in Boston. The Mayos had also in their veins 
a liberal strain of Mayflower blood; and through their maternal 
lines they traced descent from Governor Thomas Prence, Elder 
William Brewster, and other worthies of the Plymouth Colony. 
Ebenezer Mayo and his father, Thomas, served in the war of 



1 68 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

the Revolution, and were prisoners on the infamous ship Jersey 
in New York harbor. Captain Ephraim Mayo was a man of 
the strict puritanic type. Rigid in his principles, inflexible in 
methods, conscientious to the extreme, he was nevertheless, 
kindly, generous, and just to all men, and possessed in his 
heart a great tenderness for little children. He was a member 
of no sect because he could subscribe to no creed ; yet he was 
a constant attendant and a liberal supporter of the services of 
the church. As early as 1814, his name is found among the 
incorporators of the Union Religious Society of Hallowell. 
He was a staunch abolitionist in the days when the leaders 
of the antislavery party were branded with opprobrium and 
threatened with social ostracism. He did not hesitate to 
receive the fugitive slave into his own house; and I well 
remember the thrilling story of the "big black man" who was 
once hidden all night in the attic while the family shook in 
terror lest the officers of the law should appear and wreak 
vengeance on their heads. But the "chattel" was passed 
safely on to the next underground station, and at last in safety 
reached the desired haven. 

In the war of 181 2, Ephraim Mayo served as corporal in 
the Hallowell Light Infantry Company, which was organized 
under Captain Benjamin Dearborn, November 20, 181 1. A 
few years afterwards, Ephraim Mayo was appointed captain of 
this company, and, in accordance with the local custom, retained 
his title through life. On February 19, 181 5, Captain Ephraim 
Mayo married Sally Laughton, daughter of Thomas and Molly 
Adams Laughton who settled in Hallowell in 1804. Ephraim 
Mayo died September 24, 1857. Mrs. Sally Laughton Mayo 
lived to the age of eighty-six. She possessed rare charms of 
mind and character, and also the beautiful brown eyes, which 
she inherited, according to family tradition, from the Lynn 
Laugh tons of England, and bequeathed to her own daughters. 

Samuel W. Huntington came to Hallowell about 1840. 
In that year five votes were cast in Hallowell for James Birney, 
the abolitionist candidate for the presidency of the United 
States. It is recorded that the five gentlemen who voted this 
ticket were Samuel W. Huntington, Ebenezer Dole, Joseph C. 



Huntington 169 

Lovejoy, Stevens Smith, and Eli Thurston. Samuel W. 
Huntington was at that time a comparatively new resident in 
Hallowell, but he soon identified himself with the political and 
commercial interests of the town, and was recognized as an 
able business man, and a large-hearted, generous, public-spirited 
citizen. For more than twenty-five years, he was one of the 
prominent merchants and manufacturers of Hallowell, and an 
active supporter of all local reforms. 

In the early sixties, Mr. Huntington removed his business 
to Augusta, but retained his residence in Hallowell. In 1874, 
he built the house on Central Street which he occupied until 
his death; but the early home of the Huntington family was 
in the quaint old house that still stands on Middle Street. It 
was, in those days, a long, low-roofed cottage with odd-shaped 
rooms, and five queer stairways leading, in unexpected places, 
to its dormer-windowed chambers and the dark, mysterious 
store-rooms where, on semi-annual occasions, the old-fashioned 
gowns, the pink-satin-lined bonnets, the gorgeous cashmere 
shawls, the silk-embroidered slippers, and the curious little fan- 
parasols were brought forth for an airing, to the great delight 
of the daughters of the household. The long piazza, where the 
children played "Old Mother Tipsey-toes," and danced "up 
and down the center," still remains; but the old fruit gardens, 
the long walk bordered with the dear old-fashioned flowers, the 
trellised grape arbor, and the summer-house where they might 
sit and read their stoiy-books on Sunday, if they would be 
"very still, indeed," have entirely disappeared. 

Samuel W. Huntington belonged to a family that has 
borne an honorable name in the annals of the country and that 
has not been without distinguished representatives both in the 
church and state. He was born in Litchfield, Maine, May 
17, 1 816, the son of William and Mary Huntington, and a 
descendant of Simon and Margaret Baret Huntington who 
emigrated to this country in 1633. He married, November 9, 
1842, Sally, daughter of Captain Ephraim Mayo. Their chil- 
dren were Samuel Lancaster and Emma Caroline. Samuel 
Lancaster Huntington married, November 7, 1877, Nellie A. 
Yeaton, daughter of John Yeaton, of Chelsea, Maine. They 



170 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

have one daughter, Mary Wentworth Huntington. Emma 
Caroline Huntington married May 23, 1870, Charles H. Nason 
of Augusta. Mrs. Sally Mayo Huntington died October 3, 
1849. On June 30, 1850, Samuel W. Huntington married 
Caroline Mayo, daughter of Captain Ephraim Mayo. Their 
children were Julius Francis, Alice Mayo, and Charles Franklin. 
Julius Francis Huntington married, May 20, 1885, Helen F. 
Thomas, a woman of rarely beautiful character, who died, Feb- 
ruary 19, 1907, leaving one son, Richard Thomas Huntington. 

The Nason families of Hallowell were descended from 
Richard Nason, who, in 1639, had a grant of two hundred acres 
of land on the Newichawannock river in that part of old 
Kittery which is now South Berwick. According to family 
tradition, Richard Nason came from Stratford-on-Avon, where 
the name of Nason is found on the parish records as early as 
1577. Joseph Frost Nason, born in Sanford, Maine, June 29, 
1 81 3, came to Hallowell about 1840. He was sixth in descent 
from Richard Nason of Kittery, and counted among his ances- 
tors, Frosts, Emerys, Sewalls, Dummers, and leading families 
of the Plymouth colony. He married, first, July 23, 1843, 
Mary Thompson Welch, who died August 3, 1852; and, second, 
Mrs. Susan B. Sherman of Nantucket. The children of 
Joseph Frost and Mary Welch Nason were: Charles H., who 
became one of the prominent business men of Augusta; Edwin 
Francis, a graduate of Bates College, and, in his early years, 
a successful teacher and literary critic; and Aroline who died 
in infancy. Charles H. Nason married, May 23, 1870, Emma 
Caroline Huntington. They have one son, Arthur Huntington 
Nason, instructor in English in New York University. 

Joseph Frost Nason was engaged for many years in the 
boot and shoe business in Hallowell. He was a gentleman of 
the old school type, of cultivated mind, of courteous bearing, 
and of integrity of character. He was a zealous advocate of 
the abolition of slavery and of the temperance reform, and a 
man whose strong religious principles were exemplified by most 
liberal charities and consistent Christian living. He died 
October 27, 1877. 

Bartholomew Nason, also a descendant of Richard Nason 




Miss Mary THO^[PSO^- Wki.ch 
(Mrs. Joseph F. Nason) 



Temperafice Movement 171 

of Kittery, removed from Augusta to Hallowell in 1837, where 
he became one of the leading merchants. He was the father 
of Deacon Edward Nasoh, whose daughter, Miss Margaret 
Nason, now resides in Augusta; of William Nason, who mar- 
ried Mary A. Wingate; and of Frederick B. Nason, who married 
Annie Dwight; and the grandfather of Delia E. Collins, who 
married Louis Ruttkay, nephew of Kossuth. 



While the cause of antislavery was thus exciting great 
interest in Hallowell, another philanthropic reform was inaugu- 
rated which appealed very closely to the hearts of the people. 
This was the temperance movement. Ever since the founda- 
tion of the town. West India rum had been classed with 
groceries and provisions, and had been as freely sold by the 
most respectable merchants. The time came, however, when 
the people were aroused to a realization of the terrible effects 
of intemperance; and leading citizens made strenuous efforts 
to bring about a reform. They held mass meetings; they 
preached sermons; they gave lectures; they formed societies. 
Perpetual and total abstinence was the watchword; and the 
method, moral suasion. One of the most famous leaders in 
this remarkable movement was the Rev. Joseph C. Lovejoy, 
the agent of the Maine Temperance Union. Under his 
direction immense mass meetings were held, at which speeches 
were made by Rev. John A. Vaughan, Rev. Mr. Miles, Rev. 
Thomas Adams, Dr. Amos Nourse, S. W. Robinson, Charles- 
Dummer, Escj., and Judge Peleg Sprague. Great interest was 
aroused; the churches united and formed a society; and the 
people of Hallowell entered resolutely upon the work. Mr. 
Lovejoy spoke to a crowded audience, in the town hall, with 
great power, eloquence, and pathos ; and his appeal resulted in 
the accession of a large number of members to the society. 
Mr. Lovejoy also organized a boy's society which adopted a 
pledge of total abstinence. 

The immediate and practical results of all these efforts 
may be best understood from a few typical instances. The 
first occurs — where we should least expect to find it — in the 



172 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

orders of one of the military companies. It had always been 
the custom for the captain of the company, at the close of the 
drill, to march the men to his own door and offer them a 
parting glass. I remember the tall decanters and long rows 
of wine glasses that, in the days of my childhood, were always 
kept on the upper shelves of my grandmother's china closets, 
and of hearing how my grandfather used always to "treat the 
men" when he was captain of the Light Infantry. In after 
days he became the most rigid of total abstainers. But it was 
another captain of the same company who was the moral hero 
of whom I write. This was Captain S. A. Kingsbury who, 
during temperance agitation, in 1834, addressed his company 
saying that the common practice of serving wines and other 
liquors at company drills was repugnant to his views and 
feelings, and expressing his wish that the company would 
agree to have the custom discontinued. A motion was made 
that thereafter "refreshments" be dispensed with, and it was 
unanimously carried. 

Another indirect but very forcible expression of the state 
of public sentiment may be found in the announcement, in 
1 84 1, of the famous old steamboat, they. W. Richmond. "The 
hands of the Richmond,'' says this advertisement, "drink no 
strong drinks;" and adds, "It would be well if the passengers 
followed their example." 

On June 5, 1841, the Hallowell Weekly Gazette announces: 
"We have the pleasure of informing our readers that the 
Hallowell House is now a temperance house; and bespeak a 
liberal share of the patronage of the public for its gentlemanly 
landlord, Mr. Hodges." 

It was on the following Fourth of July that Hallowell had 
its memorable temperance celebration with a dinner at Mr. 
Hodges' famous hostelry. This notable day was ushered in 
with the usual noisy demonstrations of joy. At ten o'clock the 
Washington Temperance Society met at the Town Hall, and 
formed in procession with other societies, the soldiers of the 
Revolution, the clergy, and distinguished guests, and then 
marched to the Old South Church escorted by Captain A. 
Lord's corps of Volunteers, and the Hallowell Independent 



Lovejoy 173 

Lancers. The latter were a company of young lads in brilliant 
uniforms, who attracted much attention by fine appearance, 
good order, and exact marching. The band followed; and the 
whole procession was under the direction of Major Haines. 

The services at the church consisted of prayer by Rev. 
Mr. Cole, reading of the Declaration of Independence by 
Colonel D. P. Livermore, address by Dr. Nourse, and an ode, 
"I've thrown the bowl aside," sung by Mr. E. Rowell. Mr. 
Joseph C. Lovejoy was then called upon to make "remarks," 
and gave one of the most eloquent addresses ever heard from 
his gifted lips. 

At the close of these exercises the procession marched to 
the Hallowell House, where one hundred and thirty guests sat 
down to one of Landlord Hodges' best dinners. Toasts were 
then drank, cold zvater being the only beverage, and it was 
agreed that "never was a Fourth of July passed in Hallowell in 
better spirits and good feeling." 

Among those who responded to toasts were: J. Burnham, 
Henry Reed, E. Rowell, T. W. Newman, Leonard Whittier, 
Alonzo Palmer, H. K. Baker, Colonel Livermore, Colonel 
Masters, Rev. J. Cole, R. G. Lincoln, Justin E. Smith, and 
Rev. J. C. Lovejoy. The Independent Lancers had their 
share of the honors. They were apostrophized as "Invincible," 
with the added sentiment : "May their first battle be pitched 
upon King Alcohol, the common enemy." 

These illustrations show very plainly the trend of public 
sentiment and the advance made by the temperance cause. 
The Washington Temperance Society continued its labors 
with great success, not only in Hallowell but throughout the 
state ; and the movement resulted in the prohibition law passed 
by the Maine Legislature, in 1852. 

In 1829, Mr. Lovejoy was preceptor of the Hallowell 
Academy. He afterwards entered the ministry and became 
pastor of the Congregational Church at Cambridgeport. He 
was an earnest supporter of the temperance cause and, like his 
famous brothers Elijah and Owen Lovejoy, he was very active 
and zealous in the antislavery movement 

A very interesting family tradition, describing an incident 



174 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

which is said to have taken place during the pastorate of Mr. 
Lovejoy at Cambridgeport, is worthy of record as characteristic 
of the temper of the times. In Mr. Lovejoy's church there was 
a colored man of fine appearance who was said to have had a 
white mother and who showed but slight traces of his colored 
parentage. He was a large, dignified man and a celebrated 
caterer. The wife of this colored man was a white woman ; and 
as it was the rule in Mr. Lovejoy's church that the colored 
members should sit by themselves in the gallery, Mr. Lovejoy 
made an exception in this case and permitted the husband to 
sit with the white people, saying that no husband and wife 
should be separated in his church. 

This decision caused great excitement and intense opposi- 
tion in the church and town; the people were beside themselves 
with rage; and the affair resulted in the resignation of Mr. 
Lovejoy and his leaving the ministry. Subsequently Mr. Love- 
joy was engaged in lecturing and as foreign correspondent in 
the Patent Office at Washington. By his association with men 
in sympathy with slavery, Mr. Lovejoy's views were greatly 
modified, and he withdrew from the antislavery movement, 
much to the sorrow of his brother Owen and of his northern 
friends. 

The Rev. Joseph C. Lovejoy was the son of David 
Lovejoy, and a descendant of John Lovejoy, one of the founders 
of Andover. He was born July 26, 1805, married October 6, 
1830, Sarah Moody, only daughter of Samuel and Sarah Moody 
of Hallowell. They had eight children, the youngest of whom, 
Anna Louise Lovejoy, married, April 6, 1868, William Henry 
Raymond of Boston. The children of this marriage are: 
Marion Louise, who married Joseph Warren Merrill of Brook- 
line; Robert Lovejoy Raymond, who married Mary Minturn 
Higbee of New Rochelle, New York; William Lee Raymond, 
who married Phoebe Teresa Candage of Brookline; and Edith, 
who married Percy Vickery Hill of Augusta, Maine. 

Stevens Smith whose name appears conspicuously in con- 
nection with the emancipationists of the period, came to 
Hallowell 1803. He was the son of Nathaniel Smith of 
Epping, New Hampshire. He married Nancy, daughter of 



Lincoln 175 

George and Zipperah Robinson of Attleboro. One of his 
daughters, Nancy Robinson, married Richard D. Rice, editor 
of the Liberty Standard, and afterwards removed to Augusta. 
The Standard was subsequently conducted by the Rev. Austin 
Willey, the famous antislavery leader, who resided for some 
years in Hallowell, and while there gave a great impetus to 
the cause. 

Franklin A. Day came to Hallowell about 1831, and 
engaged in business with Laban Lincoln. Mr. Day became 
a successful merchant and lumber dealer, and also officiated 
as town treasurer and collector. He was a fine singer, and 
is remembered as the leader of the Universalist choir, which 
was noted for its excellent music. He married Hannah Squire 
and had four children: Frank, Joe, Preston, and Lizzie. Mr. 
Joe B. O. Day is now living in Castana, Iowa. His letters to 
his Hallowell friends are filled with interesting reminiscences 
of his native town. 

Laban Lincoln was eminently worthy of the name of a 
"good citizen." He gave his name to that part of Hallowell 
known as Lincolnville where he erected quite a large number 
of houses. Like his business partner, Mr. Day, he gloried in 
being "a despised abolitionist" and was once mobbed on the 
street for his antislavery utterances. It has been truly said 
of him that "he was the friend of every one, and fully exem- 
plified his belief in the brotherhood of man." Rodney G. 
Lincoln, the son of Laban Lincoln, married Lucy, daughter 
of Deacon Gow. Mr. Lincoln's name appears prominently in 
connection with all movements for the public weal, until the 
time of his removal from Hallowell to Minnesota. His oldest 
daughter, Mrs. Mary Pollock, has written some interesting 
sketches of her native town under the pen-name of Clara 
Graham. A younger daughter. Miss Anna Thurston Lincoln, 
has been, during the last thirty years, the presiding genius of 
the women's hall at Carlton College, Minnesota, and a frequent 
and ever welcome guest at Hallowell. 

The name of Page has frequent and always honorable 
mention in the annals of Hallowell. David Page, born August 
12, 1782, was the son of Aaron, and grandson of John Page, 



176 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

and belonged to one of the noteworthy old families of Kensing- 
ton, New Hampshire. He married, October 16, 1814, Mary, 
daughter of Benjamin and Zilpha Guild, of Hallowell. Their 
children were: Mary, Benjamin Guild, Horatio, Caroline A., 
Edward, Sarah Elizabeth, David, Franklin, and Augustus. 
The sons are no longer living. Mary married John Matthews 
and died in 1903. She was a woman much beloved by many 
friends. She possessed a remarkable memory, and, having 
spent her whole life in her native town, her mind was stored 
with interesting and valuable reminiscences of the old people 
and the olden times in Hallowell. Caroline A. Page married 
John Freeman. She is now a delightfully young old lady of 
eighty-five, who resides with her daughter, Mrs. Amos Smith 
of Chicago, but who still frequently visits her sister, Miss 
Sarah Elizabeth Page, at the family homestead in Hallowell. 

The founders of the Freeman families of Hallowell were 
Edward, Samuel, and Ebenezer, descendants of Edmund Free- 
man of Sandwich, Massachusetts. They settled on the east 
side of the river and gave their name to Freeman's hill. Prom- 
inent among their neighbors were the Davis brothers, 
Benjamin, Nathan, and Daniel, from the vicinity of Exeter, 
New Hampshire, and Seth Littlefield, a descendant of Edmund 
Littlefield of Wells, Maine. The Littlefields, like the members 
of the Davis family, were farmers and sea-faring men of 
honorable repute. Jeremiah Littlefield, son of Seth, left four 
children. One daughter, Aurelia, married John L. French of 
Hallowell. The French family is now represented by Mr. 
Charles French of Monterey, California, Mrs. Julia Francis of 
Washington, Mrs. Susan F. Wallace of Nashua, and by Miss 
Emma O. French and Mr. Stephen H. French, of Hallowell, 
who reside upon the estate formerly owned by Charles 
Vaughan, Esq. Phineas Yeaton, with his wife, Phebe Went- 
worth, and two children, Dorcas and John, came from Berwick 
in 1798 and engaged in the lumber business on the east side of 
the river. These families were all of good New England stock 
and left descendants worthy of their names. 

Barnstable County, Massachusetts, sent not a few of 
its staunch sons to Hallowell. Amons: them was Elisha 



White 



177 



Nye, son of Stephen Nye, both of whom served in the 
Continental army and in the war of the Revolution. Elisha 
Nye was the father of the well-remembered Kennebec sea- 
captain, Ansel Nye. William Nye, son of Ansel, married 
Susan L. Siders of Boston. Their children were Mary, William, 
George Albert, Charles E., J. Edwin, Emma L., and Ellen M. 
Three of these sons, William, George Albert, and J. Edwin, 
were officers in the war of the Rebellion. Ellen M. married 
F. Herbert Parlin and now resides in Hallowell. General 
George Nye of Natick, also a descendant of Elisha Nye, 
served in the war of the Rebellion and had a most honorable 
record. 

Prominent among the men of this period were Ambrose 
Merrill and James Atkins, wealthy merchants and ship-build- 
ers. Ellen Merrill, the daughter of Ambrose Merrill, married 
James Atkins and resided in the Bond-Glazier mansion which is 
now occupied by her daughter, Mrs. M. M. Johnson. Brooks 
and Hathaway were hardware merchants and their families 
took an important part in the literary and social life of the 
town. Calvin Spaulding, the veteran bookseller, had a long 
and honorable business career in Hallowell. The Spaulding 
book store, founded in 1820, is still one of the characteristic 
landmarks of the town. Jesse Aiken, one of the enterprising 
and successful merchants of Hallowell married Mary A. Fuller, 
and resided in the old Squire Perley house. His oldest 
daughter, Eliza J. Aiken Masters, died in Syracuse in 1889; 
Edward Fuller Aiken was one of the "forty-niners," and died 
in California; the youngest daughter, Augusta, married William 
J. Kilburn and now resides in New Bedford. She still retains 
a warm affection for her native town and for the old Hallowell 
Academy in which she was educated. 

Another family, closely associated with this Second Street 
neighborhood, was that of General Greenlief White, a promi- 
nent business man of Hallowell and afterwards of Augusta. 
General White married Julia Cascolene Martin, daughter of 
Alfred and Lydia Martin, and granddaughter of Isaac Clark. 

Mrs. White was a woman of remarkable character who 
retained her keenness of intellect, unimpaired memory, and 



178 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

great charm of manner until her last days. She long outlived 
her husband and spent her last days in Hallowell where she 
died in 1887, at the age of eighty-two years. Of the five 
children of this marriage, two died in childhood; the oldest 
son, Greenlief White, born July 23, 1832, was drowned in the 
Kennebec. The oldest daughter, Julia M. White, born Sep- 
tember 21, 1828, is said to have been "a reigning belle and 
beauty" in her girlhood; and although an invalid during her 
later years, she never lost the fascinating charm of her youthful 
days. Annie L. White, the second daughter of General and 
Mrs. White, was born May 8, 1834, and married, in 1854, Mr. 
Joseph Berry of Bath. Her home was for many years in 
Hallowell where she became endeared to a large circle of 
friends through her lovable character, her irresistible charm 
of manner, her intellectual gifts, rare conversational powers, 
her unselfish life, and her loyalty to her friends. The two 
children of Joseph and Annie L. Berry were Cascolene 
Hortense, who married Mr. Edward A. Thomas of Hallowell, 
and Edward Williams Berry, who married Katharine Maud 
Beeman of Hallowell. The last years of the life of Mrs. Annie 
Berry were spent with her son and daughter in Spokane, 
Washington. She died November i, 1908, greatly beloved and 
lamented. 

Artemas Leonard was a merchant and bank president. In 
his day the practice of banking was less formal and complicated 
than at the present time; and an interesting story of Mr. 
Leonard's methods is told by Mr, Benjamin Page, an old 
resident of Hallowell. "Before the Kennebec and Portland 
Railroad was built," writes Mr. Page, "transportation to Boston 
was, in summer, by vessels and later by steamers; in winter by 
stage which required three days for the journey. On this 
particular trip, I stood one afternoon awaiting the arrival of the 
stage from Augusta. It was an event — it came. A bank was 
located near by, and just as the stage was leaving, Mr. Artemas 
Leonard, its president, came briskly out, lifted the blanket 
side, which was hiding from view all the passengers, and 
said, — 'Anyone here going to Boston.?' Someone must have 
said, 'yes,' possibly someone he knew from Augusta, for he 



Joy i7g 

continued, 'I have a package here of ten thousand dollars, 
I would like to have taken to the Suffolk Bank.' It was taken 
on and the stage departed." 

Artemas Leonard became a man of wealth and his resi- 
dence, a large brick house on Middle Street, was one of the 
most attractive in the town. It is remembered by a younger 
generation as the home of his daughter, Mrs. Caroline Hill. 
An old bowling alley which stood on the Leonard grounds had 
a great fascination for the boys and girls who were often 
permitted to play there by the courtesy of Mrs. Hill. 

Nathaniel Brown was one of the most energetic and enter- 
prising of the earlier business men. He has the distinction, in 
an old record, of being "the baker who makes good bread." He 
married Mary L. Parsons of Ipswich. Their daughter, Lucia 
Parsons Brown, is remembered as a teacher of water-color 
painting. She lived to a good old age in Hallowell, where she 
was highly esteemed for her womanly virtues. Nathaniel 
Brown built the interesting old house on Winthrop Street 
afterwards owned by Hiram Fuller. This house has a charm- 
ing stairway turning to right and left from the landing near the 
top; and in the window of the upper hall is a pane of glass with 
this quaint inscription: 

Hear I stand boath day and night to keep 

out could and let in light. 

Glazed by Richard Calvert. 

Dec. 5, 1812. 

Hiram Fuller married Sarah, daughter of Simeon C. 
Whittier. They had four children, Martha, George, Charles, 
and Brenda, now Mrs. Freese of Hallowell. Mrs. Fuller was a 
bright, cheery, hospitable woman who always made the young 
people especially welcome in her home. She retained her 
youthful feelings, her interest in current events, and her devo- 
tion to the service of the Episcopal church until her last day. 
She died January i, 1893. 

Hiram Joy was in the leather and harness business. He 
married Caroline Hayden and lived in the Nye house on 
Second Street. Here their daughter Caroline was born in 



l8o Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

1833. About 1835, Mr. Joy removed to Detroit. He after- 
wards visited Hallowell bringing with him his beautiful young 
daughter who was warmly welcomed in the place of her birth. 
Caroline Joy married J. Stirling Morton, at one time Secretary 
and Acting-Governor of Nebraska. She was a woman of 
remarkable qualities of mind and character; one who took in 
abundantly of the many good gifts of earth and heaven, and 
gave out a hundred fold. She is proudly claimed by the 
mother town as one her most lovable and accomplished 
daughters. Mrs. Morton died June 29, 1881. Four sons, 
Joy, Paul, Mark, and Charles, live to honor their mother's 
memory. 

Moses and Daniel Lakeman were the sons of Thomas 
and Elizabeth Lord Lakeman, and were among the most highly 
respected citizens of the town. Moses Lakeman was a man of 
prominence, and one of the early mayors of Hallowell. During 
the Civil War, he enlisted in the army and was Colonel of the 
famous Third Maine regiment. On his return to Hallowell he 
was presented, by the town with a pair of silver spurs in 
recognition of his services to his country. Daniel Lakeman, 
who might have contested, with Deacon Gow, the palm for 
genuine and unaffected goodness, lived a long and useful 
life in Hallowell. He married, first, Eliza Shepherd. One 
daughter of this marriage was Mrs. Mary L. Clark. The third 
wife of Daniel Lakeman was Mary Blood of Pepperell. The 
children of this marriage were Martha A., now Mrs. Reuben 
Brooks, of Gloucester, and Annie M., who died January 16, 
1908, Miss Annie M. Lakeman began her successful career 
as a teacher in the public schools of Hallowell. She was 
afterward, for nineteen years, the principal of the Lane School, 
at Gloucester, Mass. She was an ideal teacher with the power 
of inspiring her pupils with her own mental and moral aspira- 
tions. She did a great work, with immeasurable benefit to the 
school, the home, and the general public. 

Thomas and James Leigh were sons of Joseph Leigh who 
came from England to Hallowell about 1800. They both had 
long and honorable careers as merchants. Mr. James Leigh 
married Martha Athern, of Bath, and had two daughters, 



Ye at on l8l 

Grace Athern, and Alice Eliza who married Mr. Charles E. 
Dinsmore. The children of Thomas Leigh were Thomas 
Leigh, Jr., of Augusta; Helen Paine, who married H. Nelson 
Webber; and Annie Elizabeth, now Mrs. Ben Tenney of Hal- 
lowell. 

Samuel Tenney was by trade a shoemaker. He occupied 
a shop, at the "Sign of the Boot," on the corner of Winthrop 
and Water Streets. But Mr. Tenney was also an apothecary, 
and spent all his leisure time in the study of the science of 
chemistry. He became so thoroughly and practically versed in 
this subject that he manufactured his own chemical apparatus, 
and gave illustrated lectures which proved most acceptable and 
interesting to the public. His lecture room was on the upper 
floor of the Old South School House; and here, in 1817, he ex- 
hibited an electric light on the same principle as the electric 
light of the present day. Mr. Tenney was also a noted singer 
and teacher of music in Hallowell and was chorister of the Old 
South Church for many years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Tenney had two children, Alonzo and Abby. 
Captain Alonzo Tenney married Sadie White. Their sons, 
Ben, Fred, and George, now reside in Hallowell. The 
following interesting story is told of Alonzo Tenney who 
seems to have inherited his father's practical and scientific 
ability: "Alonzo when a young man went to sea for his health 
and was master of the vessel Nile which was shipwrecked in a 
violent gale on a voyage to Pensacola. For twelve days the 
captain and his crew were at the mercy of the wind and wave 
and were kept alive only by the ingenuity of Captain Tenney. 
By the aid of a lens he procured fire; and by his knowledge 
of chemistry, with simply a barrel, a tea-kettle, and gun-barrel 
he made a rude distillery changing the salt water to fresh. He 
also rigged a mast so that the vessel was making some time 
when finally picked up. Captain Tenney received high com- 
mendation for his courage and prudence from the owners of the 
vessel." 

John Yeaton, the son of Phineas Yeaton, married Abigail 
Rollins, and resided on the east side of the river. He was a 
man marked for his uprightness and force of character, and 



1 82 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

was active in the antislavery movements and other moral re- 
forms of his time. He died at an honored old age, leaving one 
son, who worthily bore his father's name, and three daughters, 
Mrs. Alden Flye of Damariscotta, Mrs. George W. Simonds of 
Boston, and Mrs. Samuel L. Huntington of Augusta. 

Other familiar names appear in the lists of the business 
men of this period. There was Benjamin Davenport, the 
hatter; Ichabod Nutter who advertised "black, white, and 
green French crepe, ostrich feathers and rich thread laces;" 
Jonas Child, A. Lord, and John Clark, tailors; Jerome Day, 
H. Tobey, John Lowell, B. F. Warner, merchants; James Sher- 
burne, the blind storekeeper; Elbridge Rollins, whose stand 
was the headquarters of the democratic party-leaders during 
the exciting political campaigns; and Mark Means, the pros- 
perous baker, who built a fine brick house on Chestnut Street, 
now the residence of Miss Annie S. Banks. Mr. George 
Fuller established an iron foundry and machine shops in which 
his sons have carried on an extensive business. Isaiah 
McClinch also built an iron foundry, and was succeeded by his 
son, George B. McClinch. D. L. Gardiner was a dealer in 
men's furnishing goods. His sons, George, Charles, Harry, 
Frederic, and one daughter, Inez, were students at the Hal- 
lowell Academy, and always retained their loyalty for their 
native town. The old Gardiner-Marston house, at the head 
of Union Street, has a chamber called the "Tom Reed room," 
so named because it was frequently occupied by Charles 
Gardiner's college friend who afterwards became the famous 
Speaker of the National House of Representatives. Mark 
Johnson, dealer in groceries and provisions, occupied the 
corner store in the brick block erected by Squire Pedey. He 
married Sarah Simmons, daughter of Captain Daniel Sim- 
mons, and granddaughter of Ebenezer Mayo. They had three 
sons, Llewellyn, Gorham, and Hannibal ; and three daughters, 
Clara, Florence, and Fanny. Lieutenant Hannibal A. Johnson 
was an officer of the famous Third Maine Regiment during the 
Civil War, and the author of an interesting and valuable 
volume of personal reminiscences, entitled The Sivord Of 
Honor. Clara married Captain Holman Anderson; Florence 



Beenian 183 

married Mr. Jewell of Hallowell; Fanny married Alexander 
Doyle, the well-known sculptor of New York. 

Major William S. Haines was cabinet maker and under- 
taker. His father, Jonathan Haines, was the owner of the 
granite quarry afterwards developed and made famous by the 
proprietors of the Hallowell Granite Works. Major Haines 
was, for tv.'enty-five years, the superintendent of burials in 
Hallowell and came into close and sympathetic touch with the 
people. He kept a record of all the deaths that occurred dur- 
ing this period; and his mind v/as a depository of local history 
and family genealogies. A. B. and P. Morton are also well 
remembered among the business men of Hallowell in 1840. 
They afterwards removed to Baltimore where they became 
wealthy merchants. Mr. Franklin J. Morton, Mrs. H. P. 
Dyer, and Miss Priscilla B. Morton, the son and daughters of 
Mr. A. B. Morton, have been frequent guests in Hallowell, and 
liberal donors to the Old South Church. 

Not least among all these was John Beeman who kept the 
corner store, at the "Sign of the Indian." It is not quite 
clear to my mind, at the present time, just what kind of a stock 
of goods John Beeman had for sale. I remember it as a sort of 
phantasmagoria of dolls, rocking-horses, peppermint candy, 
fireworks, jews harps, hoops and hoop-sticks, coral necklaces, 
and carnelian rings — magnificent beyond compare! And yet 
there must have been other staple articles of merchandise 
purchased by the older patrons of the store, who apparently 
did not always pay their bills as promptly as did the children, 
for, in the columns of the local paper, appears this notice : 

"All persons having demands against the subscriber -will please call 
and get their money. Those indebted to the subscriber are requested 
to call and settle, or they will find the 'items' in the hands of Wm. B. 
Glazier, Esq., who has no bowels of compassion." 

John Beeman, born January 24, 1810, was the son of John 
Beeman of Hallowell and grandson of John Beeman of Hart- 
ford, Connecticut. He married Sarah Carr, daughter of 
George Carr. Their daughters, Mrs. Katharine Berry, and 
Miss Edith Beeman, now reside in the ancestral Carr house on 



184 Old Halloivell on the Ke7inebec 

Second Street. John Beeman, senior, came to Hallowell in 
1 781. He owned a large tract of land on Water and Central 
Streets — where he cultivated an extensive garden famed for its 
fruits and vegetables. Mr. Beeman, it is said, was "a great 
reader;" and on winter evenings, he was always found on his 
long settle, by the fireplace, poring by candlelight, over some 
book on science or ancient history. 

Another well-remembered business man was Benjamin 
Wales, who, for many years, was the leading druggist on the 
Kennebec. Mr. Wales was born at Braintree in 1782, and 
came to Hallowell when good druggists were rare. He soon 
built up an extensive and profitable business, and taught the 
secrets of his trade to Mr. Simon Page of Hallowell, Mr. Eben 
Fuller of Augusta, and other young men who afterwards 
established themselves successfully in the same business. Mr. 
Wales married Sally Carr, daughter of Mrs. Carr, who became 
the second wife of Mr. William Morse. Mr. Wales built, in 
1820, the spacious and elegant mansion, on the corner of 
Middle and Chestnut streets. This house was subsequently 
occupied by Henry W, Paine, Thomas Andrews, A. S. 
Washburn, and Captain Charles H. Wells. Mr. Wales was a 
member of the Old South Church, and a stanch democrat. He 
was also evidently a consistent supporter of the temperance 
movement, for when he pledged himself to this cause he 
emptied his bottles of cherry brandy out of doors, while the 
children gazed with awe upon the little blood-red streams that 
trickled down his garden paths. Mr. and Mrs. Wales had one 
son who died in early manhood, and two daughters. Miss 
Sarah Wales, long remembered as a teacher in the Hallowell 
Academy, and Charlotte, who married Dr. Frederick Allen of 
Hallowell. 

Dr. Frederick Allen was bom in Chilmark, Martha's 
Vineyard, and educated at Amherst College and the Harvard 
Medical School. After a year's experience in hospital practice, 
he came to Hallowell where he had a long and successful 
professional career, terminated by his sudden death in 1858. 
Mrs. Charlotte Wales Allen outlived her husband for forty 
years. She was a most interesting and lovable woman and a 



Smith 185 

devoted and life-long member of St. Matthew's Parish in Hal- 
lowell. 

The names of Dr. and Mrs. Allen suggest those of other 
interesting families who lived at the south end of Second 
Street— the Andrews, the De Wolfe Smiths, the Hathaways, 
the Flaggs, the Dummers, and other cultured and interesting 
people. These families, together with Dr. and Mrs. Richard- 
son, organized and maintained a literary club, at which original 
essays and the books of the day were read and discussed. The 
men were all interesting talkers and keenly alive to the ques- 
tions of the time and the women were no less able to contri- 
bute to the "feast of reason and the flow of soul." This 
old-time reading club held frequent meetings, and proved a 
very enjoyable feature of neighborhood intercourse. 

The Andrews family lived in a picturesque cottage with a 
long piazza shaded by clematis vines. The house was sur- 
rounded by pleasant gardens in which all the old-fashioned 
fruits and flowers grew; and this home was one of the most 
charming and hospitable in the town. Major Thomas M. 
Andrews was a genial friend and neighbor, and Mrs. Andrews, 
who was Miss Martha Augusta Curtis, daughter of Charles 
Curtis of Boston, was greatly beloved by all who knew her. 
They had one son, William Henry, and four daughters: Eliz- 
abeth, who married Captain Llewellyn Cooper; Georgiana, 
who died in girlhood greatly beloved and lamented; Martha, 
who married Mr. Frank E. Mulliken, and who, with the young- 
est sister, Miss Julia M. Andrews, now resides in Augusta. 
Mrs. Martha Curtis Andrews died October 24, 1857. Major 
Andrews married for his second wife, Louise, daughter of 
Gideon Farrell, Esq. 

Dr. De Wolfe Smith, a gentleman of wealth and culture, 
married Judith Smith, daughter of Mr. Joseph Smith of 
Hallowell. Mrs. Smith was a very handsome and brilliant 
woman who took a prominent and efficient part in all the social, 
literary, and philanthropic movements of the day. Their only 
daughter, Florence, is now Mrs. Pope Sampson of New York. 
Their son, Robert, a graduate of Harvard, a brilliant scholar, 
and a lawyer of unusual talent, died in early manhood. 



1 86 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

Franklin Hathaway married Caroline Gardiner and resided 
in the octagon house which w^as familiarly known as the "Bird- 
Cage." This unique and attractive cottage was built by 
Captain Thwing, and first occupied by the family of Joseph 
Barrett. The home of the Flaggs was just opposite the 
Emmons house. Mr. John P. Flagg married Mary, daughter 
of John Merrick, Esq. Mrs. Flagg was a woman of most esti- 
mable character and distinguished for her private and public 
benevolences. She was one of the founders of the Girls' Indus- 
trial School, and a liberal endower of the Flagg-Dummer Hall. 

Mr. Charles Dummer was a descendant of Jeremiah 
Dummer who came to Hallowell with the early settlers. 
Charles Dummer married, first, Miss Cobb of Portland, and, 
second. Miss Almira Cleaves of Saco. Mr. and Mrs. Dummer 
were both interested in all that pertained to the welfare of 
Hallowell, and especially in its educational institutions. Mrs. 
Dummer was, for many years, an invalid, but never lost her 
interest in the vital affairs of life. She was the moving spirit 
in her own home; and neither sickness nor pain prevented her 
from joining the household in the pleasant social intercourse 
which she constantly maintained. Her private and public 
charities were numerous; and her gift of the Dummer estate, 
on Winthrop Street, to the Girls' Industrial School remains a 
permanent benefaction. The residence of the Dummers was the 
handsome house built for the first Mrs. Dummer by her father. 
Its location is one of the finest in the town; and its style of 
architecture is suggestive of the elegance and repose of 
Colonial life. This house is now the property of the artist, 
Mr. Alger V, Currier. 

An interesting story of Mrs. Dummer's girlhood is related 
by Josiah Quincy in his Figures of the Past. The author 
describes a journey which he made with Judge Story and 
several other interesting passengers, in an old-fashioned stage 
coach, in 1826. Among these passengers were Mr. and Mrs. 
McCobb, from Maine who were escorting to Washington the 
Misses Cleaves, two young ladies about to make their debut in 
Washington. The journey from Boston to New York occu- 
pied four days; and the passengers congratulated themselves 



Mann 1 87 

upon living in an age of rapid communication. They looked 
upon their journey as a pleasure trip and each one contributed 
of his best to the entertainment of his fellow-passengers. 
"People who never talked anywhere else, " writes Quincy, 
"were driven to talk in those old stage coaches." .... 
"Judge Story was one of the great talkers at a period when 
conversation was considered a sort of second profession;" and 
before the close of the first day's journey he was favoring his 
fellow-travelers with brilliant stories, selections of poetry, a dis- 
cussion of Scott's novels, of Miss Burney's Evelina, and of the 
"conversations of Maria Edgeworth." We can therefore 
imagine the keen delight with which the two young heiresses 
from Maine listened to the conversation of this famous talker 
with his fellow-passengers. 

"The early hours of Sunday," continues Mr. Ouincy, "I 
spent in visiting the churches in attendance upon the Misses 
Cleaves, who, being fresh from boarding-school were somewhat 
romantic. May it chance that either of these fair, young crea- 
tures are yet living.? May it happen that either of them 
survives to read this narrative of our journey with the great 
Judge.!* Were they also keeping journals? It is just possible 
that the publication of this paper may bring me some news of 
their lives during the fifty-four years since we parted 
company." 

The publication of the above sketch resulted in a corre- 
spondence between the author and Mrs. Almira Dummer. 
"Little did I think," wrote this lady, "that, when taking the 
journey alluded to, which was the first great event of my life, 
* being fresh from boarding-school, and somewhat romantic,' I 
should be reminded of it, after a period of fifty years, by one of 
the party who enjoyed the privilege of the friendly intercourse, 
the pleasure, and instruction derived from the unlimited fund 
of conversation and knowledge possessed by Judge Story. 
During the long course of years since that time each member 
of that stage-coach party has been held in pleasant remem- 
brance." 

Among the well-remembered physicians of Hallowell were 
Dr. Ariel Mann, Dr. Amos Nourse, and Dr. M. C. Richardson. 



1 88 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Dr. Ariel Mann, was born in Wrentham, May 14, 1777, 
came to Hallowell in 1802, and married September 3, 1810, 
Phebe, daughter of William Morse. He was especially skilled 
as a surgeon and stood at the head of his profession in this part 
of the country. He entered into partnership with Dr. Amos 
Nourse and maintained a successful practice for a number of 
years. On being appointed Judge of Probate for Kennebec 
County, he gave up the more strenuous duties of the medical 
profession. Dr. Amos Nourse was also a physician of thorough 
education and excellent practice, but, like Dr. Mann, he was 
not of robust constitution. He therefore accepted the appoint- 
ment of postmaster at Hallowell which he held from 1822 
until the time of his removal to Bath, in 1841. He married, 
first, Clarissa Augusta, daughter of Hon. John Chandler of 
Monmouth; and, second. Miss Melville of Boston. He died 
April 7, 1877. 

Dr. M. C. Richardson was born in Springfield, New 
Hampshire, September 24, 181 4. He graduated from Dart- 
mouth College in 1841, and from the medical department of the 
University of New York in 1845. He settled in Hallowell 
about 1848, and will long be remembered by our townspeople 
as a man of scholarly attainments and a successful physician. 
As a medical practitioner. Dr. Richardson was enthusiastically 
and conscientiously devoted to his profession, and rendered his 
service as freely to the poorer as well as to the richer class of 
patients. Amidst the arduous demands of his practice. Dr. 
Richardson also found time for the educational and phil- 
anthropic work connected with the various new movements of 
the time. For a number of years he gave his services gratui- 
tously as librarian to the Hallowell Social Library, and 
collected many books for its scantily filled shelves. He also 
gave gratuitous instruction in music in the public schools, to 
the great delight of the pupils and the gratitude of the 
parents in those earlier days. With most commendable public 
spirit, Dr. Richardson organized free lecture courses in Hal- 
lowell, and gave lectures himself upon subjects that opened the 
newly discovered fields of science to the people. His numerous 
contributions to the press, upon scientific and literary topics, 




Dr. ]\r. C. Richardson 



Richardson 189 

were alike interesting and valuable. During his long residence 
in Hallowell, Dr. Richardson occupied a prominent place -in 
the social and religious life of the town. He was a devoted 
church member and an honored deacon in the old South 
Church. His character is very suggestive of that of **Dr. 
Urquhart," in the story by his son, Professor Charles F. 
Richardson, entitled The End of the Beginning. Dr. Richard- 
son married first, Caroline Farnsworth of Bridgton. The only 
child of this marriage was Harriet, now Mrs. S. S. Turner of 
Chicago. Dr. Richardson married for his second wife, Mary 
Wingate, daughter of Joseph Wingate of Hallowell. Their 
son is Professor Charles F. Richardson of Dartmouth College. 
Dr. Richardson died at New Marlborough, Massachusetts, 
1877. 

Professor Charles F. Richardson was born at Hallowell, 
fitted for college at the Hallowell Academy, and graduated 
from Dartmouth in 1871. He married Miss Elizabeth Miner 
Thomas, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a granddaughter of 
Charles Miner, of editorial and congressional fame, and a 
prominent leader in the early antislavery movement. To him 
the American public is indebted for that ever-popular phrase, 
"to have an axe to grind." ' Professor Richardson began his 
literary life as an editor of The Independent, and was sub- 
sequently a member of the editorial staff of the Sunday School 
Times, Philadelphia, and of Good Literature, New York. In 
1882, he was appointed Winkley Professor of Saxon and English 
at Dartmouth. He is the author of A Primer of American 
Literature, 1878; The Cross (religious poems), 1879; The 
Choice of Books (essays on reading), 1881; American Litera- 
ture, 2 vols., 1886-8; and a very delightfully-written novel 
entitled The End of the Beginning, the scene of which is laid 
in Hallowell. In addition to these works, Professor Richardson 
has edited Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, Poes Works, 
Daniel Webster for Young Americans, and, in connection with 
other editors. The College Book, The International Cyclopaedia, 
and the World's Best Poetry. Professor Richardson has 

' Bartletrs Familiar Quotations 



190 



Old Hallozvcll on the Kennebec 



attained an enviable distinction both as a college professor and 
an author, and he is recognized in scholarly and literary circles as 
a standard authority on American Literature. He is proudly 
claimed by Hallowell as one of her most gifted and distin- 
guished sons. 

According to an old-fashioned and oft-quoted expression, 
in our old town, there were certain men who were "the corner- 
stones and pillars of society." This phrase has now lost much 
of its significance, but we can recall the time when it was not 
only an elegant figure of speech but a literal truth. In the 
civic and social structure of our community, there was a class 
of men that occupied places of honor and trust, and filled them 
so worthily that no one ever questioned their right to perpetual 
permanency in these positions. These men were individual char- 
acters. They were known and received for what they were. 
They were not men who were popular for a day, or a year, 
and who were then suddenly dropped from the regard of the 
public. The reputation which they had built up for themselves 
was secure. Character told in those earlier times; and the 
deep and lasting impression made by such men upon the com- 
munity can not be better illustrated than in the life of 
the Honorable Simon Page. 

Mr. Page was a man of sterling character, of exceptional 
business ability, of philanthropic spirit, of sincere devotion to 
the interests of the town, and of active and unswerving 
allegiance to all moral reforms and to the principles of Chris- 
tianity. He was the son of Samuel and Mary Whittier Page, 
and was born in Readfield, Maine, in 1804. When a young 
man, he came to Hallowell and gradually built up an extensive 
business in oils, paints, drugs, and medicines. He engaged 
largely in local manufacturing enterprises, and was one of the 
principal promoters of the Hallowell cotton factory, and of the 
oilcloth works of Stickney and Page, later of Page, Wilder, and 
Company. He was also, for some time, President of the Hal- 
lowell Savings Institution. Mr. Page served as Mayor of 
Hallowell for several successive terms, and his first address to 
the board of aldermen discloses the true public spirit and high 




Mrs. Simon Pa( 



Page 191 

moral standard of the man whom the new-made city delighted 
to honor. 

One of the educational projects, very dear to the heart of 
Mr. Page, was the establishment of the Hallowell Classical 
School. On this institution he expended much of his time and 
thought, and a large portion of his private fortune. But the 
work which received his most devoted service, and which has 
been undoubtedly the most far-reaching in its effects on the 
life and character of the young people of Hallowell, was his 
long superintendence of the Old South Sunday School. For 
fifty years, Mr. Page carried on this work with indefatigable 
energy and enthusiasm and in a spirit of entire consecration to 
the cause. The influence of the example, precepts, and per- 
sonal teaching of such a man upon the many successive classes 
of children under his charge can never be adequately esti- 
mated. His service as deacon of the Old South Church 
covers a period of twenty-seven years; and his whole life 
serves as an example of ideal Christian citizenship. 

Mr. Simon Page married June 6, 1830, Fraziette, daughter 
of Dr. Benjamin Page. Their children were: Benjamin, who 
married, in 1859, Isabella Kerswell, of Skowhegan; Julia, who 
ma,rried, August 21, 1866, Henry Sampson, Esq., of New 
York; and Miss Annie F. Page, who now resides in Hallowell. 
Mr. Simon Page died July 30, 1878. Mrs. Fraziette Page died 
February 5, 1889. The following tribute to her memory is 
from the pen of one who knew her well : 

"Fraziette Page was the third daughter of Dr. Benjamin 
and Abigail Page, born in Hallowell, there married, and there 
spending her whole life. Her marriage to Mr. Simon Page 
was an ideal one, and together they worked and lived for the 
good of others. Mr. Page was devoted to his church and 
Sunday School, as well as to his business, and Mrs. Page, to 
works of benevolence and mercy. All the missionary and 
philanthropic movements of the day were in their thoughts and 
plans even to the then much-despised cause of the antislavery 
society. For many years, Mrs. Page was President of the 
Hallowell Benevolent Society, and her deeds for the poor were 
numberless. Of great energy, strong in her religious faith, and 



ig2 Old Hallozvell on the Kennebec 

with a wonderful power of endurance, she used all her endow- 
ments of mind and body as gifts of God for which she was 
accountable to Him." 

The home of the Pages has ever been noted for its 
hospitality. Here the minister, the missionary, the professor, 
the student, the social guest of high degree, and the poor of 
low estate, were alike welcomed and cordially entertained. In 
these latter days, the Page house, which is now the residence 
of Miss Annie F. Page, has lost none of its old-time atmosphere 
of hospitality; nor do the hand and heart of the present mistress 
of the mansion lack the generous helpfulness and sympathetic 
spirit characteristic of the former occupants of this dwelling. 
Happy are the guests who sit in the old Chippendale chairs 
around its cheery hearthstone, or who have a place at the hos- 
pitable board laden with antique silver and the beautiful old 
china brought from far-off countries in the famous old seafar- 
ing days. Thrice happy they who are permitted to open the 
doors of the great shelf-lined store-rooms, to "take down" the 
rare and curious plates, the quaint pitchers, and the tall, long- 
empty, drinking glasses, or to range at will in the spacious 
pantry of the forty platters. 

The Simon Page house, like many of the old mansions of 
Hallowell, has a handsome doorway, with quaint side windows 
and chaste colonial pilasters of much architectural merit. On 
yesternight, this doorway framed a fitting picture. It was that 
of my lady hostess, in ''lavender and old lace," standing be- 
neath its portals, and holding above her head a gleaming 
candle to light the pathway, beneath the giant elms, for her 
departing guests. To those who paused a moment for a last 
good-night, this picture seemed symbolic of the old-time spirit 
of hospitality which still abides within the homes of Hallowell. 




The Old South Church 



XII 
THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH 

" It was built for God — it was built for man ; 
A Church of Christ, on the Master's plan." 

— Mary E. Moody. 

A LEARNED Puritan divine, the Rev. Cotton Mather, 
once gave a recipe for making a New England village. 
The ''ingredients" were a meeting-house, a school- 
house, a training field, and a town-meeting. Old 
Hallowell certainly possessed all of these requisites; but the 
chief essential, in the opinion of our forefathers, was the meet- 
ing-house. Accordingly, in the year 1796, the Old South 
Church was built. 

This famous old meeting-house was for nearly a century 
the most venerated and most imposing edifice in Hallowell. 
Its majestic proportions, its noble architecture, and its beautiful 
belfry tower, designed by Charles Bulfinch, combined to give 
this old-time meeting-house an artistic charm unusual in its day. 
Standing at quite an elevation above the river shore, the meet- 
ing-house was the most conspicuous object in the landscape, 
and with its belfry, which towered above the houses clustered 
on the hill-side, it gave to Hallowell the aspect of an old 
cathedral town. 

The Old South was long called the "standing church" of 
Hallowell. As a moral and spiritual power in the community, 
it reigned supreme. This church, from its foundation, created 
the public sentiment of the town, assumed the guidance of the 
personal religious experience of its members, and gave to society 
a spiritual and intellectual element that not only regulated the 
morals of the place but refined and elevated the every-day life 
of the people. 

This ancient church was organized, February 25, 1790, 
and was called the Congregational Church of Christ of the 



1 94 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Chester Plantation. The origin of this name is easily explained. 
At the time of the organization of the church, Hallowell was 
regarded as the center of all public interests for a large extent 
of out-lying country, including Chester Plantation in the Sandy 
River valley. The goodly settlers in this remote region were 
quite unwilling to dispense with the privileges of the gospel and 
therefore traveled regularly with their families, from Chester to 
Hallowell, a distance of thirty miles, to attend divine worship 
on the Sabbath. 

The leading men of Chester soon became disaffected with 
the irregular and the sometimes unorthodox preaching of the 
various ministerial candidates who officiated at the Fort, and 
therefore besought some of the brethren to unite with them and 
form a new church at the Hook. This was done; and the 
Chester members gave their name to the church with the 
privilege of retaining it when they should be able to have a 
church organization of their own. The Chester members were 
Samuel and Jonathan Sewall, Thomas and Abram Davenport. 
The Hallowell members were Deacon Benjamin Pettengill, 
Deacon Obediah Harris, William McMaster, Samuel Sweat, 
and Henry Sewall. After a few years the members from Chester 
withdrew, and the church at the Hook changed its name to the 
"Congregational Church of Hallowell." In 1794, the members 
of this church voted "to hire a teacher of Piety, Religion, and 
Morality," and to take measures for the erection of a meeting- 
house. In November of this year, a call was extended to the 
Rev. Eliphalet Gillet, who was ordained August 12, 1795. The 
Church at this time had ten members, all of whom were men. 

The first services under Mr. Gillet's pastorate, were held 
in the Academy; but, in 1796, a lot of land was purchased from 
Peter Clark and others for $150, and a committee consisting of 
Moses Sewall, Robert Randall, and Jason Livermore was 
appointed "to procure materials and proceed to build in such a 
way and manner" as they deemed expedient, "subject to the 
discretion of the Parish." The "way and manner" adopted by 
this committee, proved most satisfactory to the church members 
of that day and to succeeding generations. The church, as 
completed in 1798, was a large, well-proportioned edifice entered 



The Old South Church 195 

by three doors which were reached by a long flight of steps at 
either side of the east facade. Not many years afterwards, these 
doors were transformed into windows, and an entrance was 
made in the vestibule below. As first completed, this meeting- 
house had a square belfry in which hung a bell purchased from 
Paul Revere, in 1802. 

The original subscription list, containing the names of the 
contributors to the purchase of this bell, and also a manuscript 
letter from Paul Revere and Son, may still be seen at the 
Hubbard Free Library. 

The letter is dated August 17, 1802, and reads as follows: 

Mr. Jason Livermore, 

Sir: Yours of the 12th ins't came to hand. The lowest price is ten 
shillings & eight pence per lb. The bells are seldom broken except by 
accident, it is impossible to warrant them for any time. But should the 
Bell break by any fault in the Making, we shall feel ourselves account- 
able. If you will pay the money to Capt. Bruister we will settle with 
him for the bell. We are with Respect 

Your Humble 

Servants 

PAUL REVERE & SON. 

In 1806, the famous belfrey tower designed by Charles 
Bulfinch was added to the church. This belfrey was sur- 
mounted by a lantern top with an octagonal pinacle. Beautiful 
columns at the angles of the lantern supported its roof; and 
between the columns were arched openings which gave 
harmony and picturesqueness to the effect. This bell-tower 
stood for seventy years and lost none of its architectural 
beauty. "It had in it," as someone has aptly written, "a 
quality of immortality, — that subtle something, which we call 
soul that makes the difference between the work of an artist 
and a mechanic. The architect breathed life into it. It was 
not a copy of anything, but a new creation. It had an idea in 
it, a thought, a permanence. Could it have been preserved 
hundreds cf years it would have been then as fresh and beau- 
tiful as the day when first completed." 

The inside of the church was spacious and marked by 
unobtrusive excellence and harmony of design. The pulpit at 



196 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

the west end was a tall semi-circular structure reached by 
stairs on either side. The galleries occupying three sides of 
the house were supported by large and well-proportioned 
columns thoroughly in harmony with other parts of the 
interior of the church. The pews of the church were long and 
wide with high backs and doors. These large pews were 
usually well filled throughout the church even in winter when 
the house was unheated save by the small foot-stoves, which 
the little boys carried for their mother's use, and which, we 
doubt not, the mother often tucked under the feet of her little 
ones. In 1816, a stove was for the first time placed in the 
church to temper the frigid atmosphere for these faithful old- 
time worshipers. 

The Old South Church from the time of the ordination of 
its first minister, in 1795, to the year 1907 has had twelve 
pastors: Rev. Eliphalet Gillet, Rev. George Shepard, Rev. 
Eli Thurston, Rev. Nathan Rogers, Rev. J. P. Skeele, Rev. 
H. Q. Butterfield, Rev. A. Fuller, Rev. C. G. McCully, 
Rev. Charles A. White, Rev. Edward Chase, Rev. John R. 
Boardman, Rev. Charles A. Wight. The first pastor. Rev. 
Eliphalet Gillet, ministered to the people for thirty-two years. 
His name and his personality are associated with all of the 
early records of the church and of the town. His pastorate 
presents an example of the typical old-time ministry, when a 
candidate, once accepted, was practically ordained for life. In 
those days, the talents of the minister were exalted ; his virtues 
were reverenced; his follies and weaknesses, if perchance he 
had any, were charitably condoned. The man was apotheo- 
sized by his office. His authority was unquestioned, and the 
dignity of his position was unassailed. Happy were the 
congregations that, like the Old South of Hallowell, were 
fortunate enough to secure a pastor in all respects so 
acceptable as Dr. Gillet. 

This representative old-time minister was regarded as an 
able, learned, and eloquent preacher. We are told, by those 
who remember him, that Dr. Gillet was "a refined and 
scholarly-looking man, tall and slender and very graceful. He 
always appeared smoothly shaven and neatly attired in black 




Residence of Rev. Dr. Gillet 



The Old South Church 197 

broadcloth. In the pulpit he wore linen bands and black silk 
gloves. He never drove a horse, but always employed a boy 
or man to drive for him when his duties took him into the 
country. He resided in the old brick parsonage on Second 
Street, now the home of Hon. J. Warren Fuller. Here Mr. 
Gillet cultivated a garden famed for its beautiful flowers; and 
in this garden the children of the parish were often welcomed 
and delightfully entertained. "Our Puritan minister," writes 
Rev. John S. C. Abbott, "was as tender and loving as an angel. 
He never uttered a harsh word. The most fastidious taste 
could never be annoyed by any expression that passed his lips 
in the pulpit. His sermons would noiv attract attention by 
their rhetorical excellence." 

A collection of Dr. Gillet's sermons are preserved in the 
Hubbard Free Library. It has been said of them that "they 
are models of pulpit eloquence and packed full of wise 
counsels." They won for this old-time preacher the name of 
the "Addison of Maine." 

In 1827, after a long pastorate of thirty-two years, Dr. 
Gillet was dismissed from the Old South Congregational 
Church to become Secretary of the Maine Missionary Society. 
This Society was organized June 18, 1807, at the house of Dr. 
Gillet. One hundred years later, the centennial anniversary of 
the founding of the society was celebrated in the same house. 
On this interesting occasion an address was read by Rev. C. A. 
Wight, pastor of the Congregational Church of Hallowell, who 
paid an appreciative and worthy tribute to the life and services 
of Dr. Gillet as minister of the Old South Church and Secretary 
of the Maine Missionary Society. 

Rev. Eliphalet Gillet was born in Colchester, Connecticut, 
November 19, 1768. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 
1791, studied theology with the famous Dr. Spring of Newbury- 
port, and was ordained minister of the Old South Church of 
Hallowell, August 12, 1795. He married. May 25, 1805, Mary 
Gurley, daughter of Rev. John Gurley, and had a large and in- 
teresting family of ten children. Dr. Gillet died October 19, 
1845. His burial place in the Hallowell cemetery was visited 
by the delegates to the Centenary of the Maine Missionary So- 



198 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

ciety, and impressive services were held, at sunset, on June 18, 
1907, in memory of this famous minister of a century ago. 

An interesting description of some of the prominent 
members of the Old South congregation has been given to us 
by the Rev. J. H. Ingraham in his Lights and Shadows of the 
Past: 

"There used to be a great deal of wealth and fashion and 
aristocracy displayed at the Old South. . . . The broad 
aisle pews were considered, as we believe they are now-a-days, 
the most desirable and genteel, and the more genteel the 
nearer the pulpit. We can remember there old Dr. Vaughan, 
with his venerable John-Quincy-Adams-like figure, in his re- 
spectable suit of black and ruffles, and his powdered hair and 
queue. . . . There was also to be seen every Sabbath, 
Judge Robbins in a blue surtout and wide plaited ruffles with 
his head powdered white as snow, and his queue wound with 
black ribbon and neatly tied with a bow. He always wore a 
white vest and carried a gold-headed cane, with very elegant 
white doe-skin gloves. Judge Dummer also, a portly and 
noble-looking gentleman, in ruffs and queue and powder, 
usually dressed in a black coat with broad skirts and buff 
breeches, with white top boots. There too were to be found 
the two venerable Dr. Pages, father and son, gentlemen of fine 
persons and courtly dignity of appearance. The elder was 
a noble specimen of the elderly gentleman of the close of the 
last century, . . . the latter leaving behind him a name 
that will long be distinguished in the annals of medical juris- 
prudence. 

"In another part of the church, was 'old Squire Perley' 
with his straight queue which was rather carelessly tied, and 
his coat collar besprinkled with powder. He was a prominent 
member of the bar, a man of great intellect, and distinguished 
for his wit and peculiarities. In the southwest corner pew 
sat Gideon Oilman; and in the next, John Rice, as constant as 
the minister, though his home was distant four miles. In the 
northwest corner was Judge Wilde, afterwards Judge of the 
Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, seated in a rocking- 
chair in the center, his family surrounding him on three sides. 



The Old South Church 199 

In the northeast corner square pew sat John Sewall, for many 
years parish clerk, who, just as the services were to begin, 
would rise and cry intentions of marriage, much to the grati- 
fication of eager listeners. 

"In the south gallery sat Mr. Phineas Yeaton. Next east 
sat Thomas and Joseph Leigh and Mr. Elias Bond; east of 
them were seats for strangers and stray boys. In the gallery 
on the north side was 'old Deacon Gow,' as he was called, a 
little short man, square built, leaning over with his hand to his 
ear (for he was a little deaf) to catch every word, sometimes 
looking back to certain noisy boys who had stolen up stairs 
away from their parents, and shaking his finger at them with a 
dark knitting of his shaggy brows. He was a terror to juvenile 
evil-doers, and once he acted as 'tithing man,' an office now 
unknown, and would go out and bring in by the ears all 
truant boys. At such times he carried a long, red staff of 
office. He was a deacon in the Old South Church almost 
from its commencement to his death. He was long remem- 
bered for his life-long, consistent piety. Opposite him was Mr. 
John Merrick, a remarkable man, whom those who have once 
seen can never forget. In his later years, with his elastic, 
graceful figure, his unusually intellectual features, and his long 
snowy locks, he was the picture of a patriarch. Near him was 
another whose noble, benevolent, snow-white head once seen 
could never be forgotten. As he rises in the last prayer what an 
imposing figure he displays! This is Mr. Charles Vaughan, an 
English gentleman of retiring habits and agricultural tastes, 
whose estate was just out of town and whose gardens were the 
wonder of the whole region. And there were Dummers, 
Moodys, Sewalls, Leonards, Abbotts, Cheevers, Emmons, 
Farrels, Gilmans, Doles, Leighs, Bonds, Smiths, and Pages, and 
scores of others all worthy of special mention. 

"The singers' seats, two rows in each gallery, extended 
from the north to the south galleries. Mr. Samuel Tenney, 
before the days of the organ, was leader of the choir, and he, in 
his grey coat, wielded a large bow over the strings of a 
mammoth bass viol. With what a clear musical voice he 
gives the pitch, while a well-trained choir gives with fine effect 



200 Old Hallozvell on the Ke?inebec 

one of Watts' hymns. Preceptor Moody, Messrs. John 
Merrick, Jacob Abbott, S. G. Ladd, Samuel Locke, Samuel 
Manning, and David Heard were the principal male singers. 
Later, Mr. Paul Stickney, a leader among leaders, was choir- 
director for many years. The female singers, were modestly 
partitioned off in a compartment of their own. The leading 
parts were taken by Mrs. Thomas Bond and Miss Lucy G. 
Dummer, afterwards Mrs. Samuel K. Gilman." 

There was at this time no organ in the church, but, in 
1823, a fine instrument, made in England, at a cost of nine hun- 
dred dollars, was purchased. About half of this amount was con- 
tributed by the grandchildren of Benjamin Hallowell, Esq. This 
fine old organ with its Gothic front, its gilded pipes, and sweet- 
toned, harmonious keys held a revered place in the sanctuary 
until, in the lamentable fire of 1878, it mingled its dust and 
ashes with those of the old South meeting-house. 

A beautiful tribute to the Old South, and to the music of 
its choir, once came floating back to Hallowell from the far-off 
seas of the Orient. It was from the pen of the Kennebecker 
whom we all know as that loyal son of Hallowell, Captain 
John F. Drew. This tribute should be enshrined among the 
archives of the church. 

"Paul Stickney led the choir, — Barnekoy presided at the 
organ. They sang: 

"Oh, when thou city of my God, shall I thy courts ascend. 
Where congregations ne'er break up and Sabbaths have no end — 
In joy! in joy! — and peace! and peace! — " 

A soft soprano sang, "In joy and peace," alone; then the 
full choir in mighty chorus, — "In joy and peace in thee!" — 
John Odlin Page, the basso, going way down among the notes 
where but few men could go. How I remember this. There 
was the great congregation on their feet facing the singers ; it 
was late in the afternoon, and the sun, getting ready to decline 
over the hills behind the church, sent glories in through the 
back windows on many of the best men and women in Hal- 
lowell. Young men, men in their prime, men with silvery 
locks; fair maidens, beautiful women, true matrons with silver 



The Old South Church 201 

threads among the gold, women grown old and gray in sorrow 
and trouble. There were the Pages, Rufus K., then the great 
steamboat man of the state, Simon, so well known and true, 
and Charles, whom everyone far and near knew. Then the 
Doles and Stickneys, the Masters, Smiths, and Livermores, 
and so many more that I might mention all with honest re- 
spect and pride, . . . how plain it all comes back to me. 
. . . Most of that assembled congregation have gone 
'Where congregations ne'er break up and Sabbaths have no 
end.' Somehow to my young mind the ascending of the 
Heavenly courts, the streets of shining gold, the gates of 
pearl, got fixed, as though Paul Stickney, the sweet soprano 
voice, John Odlin Page, and the other singers would have 
much to do with them and the Heavenly choir; there would be 
sweet-toned organs with gilded pipes, wonderful to behold and 
hear, as well as heavenly harps and angels, and silvery-haired 
men and golden-haired women, in that beautiful abode; and my 
father would be there holding me by the hand lest I should lose 
my way and stray off to some b^id place, and Pastor Thurston 
would raise his arms over the waiting congregation who would 
turn round and face him for their benediction in the last rays of 
the glorious sun, with a circle over his head, saying: Holiness 
becometh thy House, oh God! 

"I have witnessed impressive religious ceremonies in the 
great cathedrals and churches in the seaports and other cities I 
have visited. I have stood where the grand music of the best 
masters rang through the minster walls, shaking and rustling 
banners and guidons that had hung there for centuries. The 
last was when the Arch-Bishop of all the Philippines per- 
formed High Mass at a celebrated religious festival in the 
great Cathedral at Manilla. As he was borne from the altar in 
his palanquin, or chair of state, down the broad aisle, he passed 
very near me, with his crozier and mitred hat and robes of 
gold. Hundreds of voices with a full orchestra and the great 
organ gave the seductive, witching music of the Romish 
church, now low, now in great hosannas; the thronged pro- 
cession with priests and monks of different orders, with bell 
and cowl, chanted their orisons; the soft Indian light came in 



202 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

through stained glass windows, rare and costly; there were 
crowded worshippers on their knees in adoration; and what 
else, what beside the swelling censers, the perfumes, and lull- 
ing, soothing influences of precious burning gums? Why, my 
mind was far away to that Old South Cathedral Church in 
Hallowell; and it was Paul Stickney again and his choir, and 
the soft sunset, and the congregation, and angels, and 'Jeru- 
salem, my Heavenly Home,' and myself a little boy holding on 
to my father's hand. . . . Yes, whether it be the Stabat 
Mater, or the Rosary, or the Benedicite, or anything else, my 
mind invariably wanders back to that old time, in the Old 
South church, the Hallowell Cathedral (to me), and I immedi- 
ately hear again, 'Jerusalem, my Heavenly Home.' " 

In 1839, the Paul Revere bell, for some unexplained 
reason, was exchanged for a new one, and a clock was placed in 
the church at the same time. An amusing anecdote is related 
of this clock, by Miss Annie F. Page, in her valuable and 
interesting Historical Sketch of the Old South Church. "This 
clock," as Miss Page writes, "usually performed its work like 
any well-behaved instrument of its kind, but once, becoming 
tired probably of the quiet round of duty, it played a trick on 
the congregation which well-nigh produced disastrous results. 
One pleasant summer Sunday, the pastor, Mr. Thurston, ex- 
changed pulpits with Mr. Peet of Gardiner, and a large audi- 
ence was assembled to hear and do honor to the stranger. In 
the midst of the discourse a most unearthly noise was heard 
which paralyzed the preacher, and brought the congregation to 
their feet. The guns of an attacking enemy could not have 
been more startling. Some thought it was an earthquake 
capable of swallowing up the whole town; some, that the last 
day had come, and all, with blanched faces, awaited the result 
in horror. One young man fainted and was seized by the arms 
and legs and borne from the church. The occupant of the 
northwest corner pew raised the window, put out all his 
children, and arranged himself in readiness for a jump in case 
the walls should fall. One tall, angular sister frantically 
waved her long arms beckoning the minister, who was calmly 
awaiting the result, and crying out: 'Come down, come down. 



The Old South Church 



203 



save yourself, save yourself!' No one could account for the 
terrible noise, and no one could tell its source. It continued 
one or two minutes, increasing in intensity, when it suddenly 
stopped, just as Mr. Burnham, the High School teacher, who 
had been into the porch, rushed back exclaiming, 'Don't be 
alarmed; it's only the clock running down!' It was after- 
wards learned that the clock had been wound up that morning 
and the weight was at its highest point. The pole that held 
the rachet wheel had given way, causing the "wheels of time to 
fly swifter round." Mr. Peet did not attempt to finish his 
sermon. 

In 1855, about the time when New England people as a 
class, began to tire of everything that was antique and old- 
fashioned, whatever its artistic merits, the Old South Meeting- 
house was pronounced "old-fashioned and ugly," and extensive 
repairs and the most deplorable "improvements" were made. 
The great columns were supplanted by little sticks about as 
large as a man's arm ; the windows were pointed out in Gothic 
style which harmonized with nothing else in the building. The 
old pulpit was thrown away, the arched inscription behind it, — 
Holiness beconieth Thine House, O Lord, forever — was re- 
lentlessly blotted out; but to the hearts of the people, the 
meeting-house remained the same revered Old South. 

Then, at last, there came a melancholy day when the 
familiar Old South Church stood no longer in our midst. On 
the fateful night of December i, 1878, this ancient and ven- 
erated landmark was utterly destroyed by fire. Every effort 
was made to save the church, but all in vain. The tongues of 
fire fiends curled around its pillars, darted in and out of its 
windows, crept swiftly up its walls, and leaped triumphantly to 
the very top of the beautiful old bell-tower. The whole popu- 
lation of the old town stood, at first wild, and then mute with 
sorrow, while the devastating element irresistibly, exultantly, 
did its direful work. 

Those who loved the old church best will never forget the 
splendid yet heart-breaking spectacle of this memorable con- 
flagration. As those who in their latest hours recall in swift 
review the scenes of a whole long life, so the men and women 



204 



Old Hallowell o?i the Kennebec 



who constituted the soul of which this old meeting-house was 
the earthly tenement, stood under the smoke-dimmed skies 
while through their minds surged the memories of their own 
lives and the traditions of their fathers. Visions of stately men 
and women pass once more up and down the minster aisles. 
Little children nestle, half in fear and half in joy, beside their 
mothers in the great high-backed pews. The sunlight streams 
in through the tall Gothic windows, and words of holy prayer 
are ascending from the altar. The people hear the great bell 
toll once more for the passing soul of him who first dispensed 
the bread of life within these crumbling walls. They hear 
the sweet-toned organ, and the sweet voices chanting, "How 
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him who bringeth 
good tidings," as a young man walks up the aisle to receive the 
holy ordinances of the ministry. Each soul in silence recalls 
its own experience, while the clamor, the roar, and the cries of 
the surging multitude fill the air. Suddenly there is a mighty 
crash. All eyes turn upward; the red light shines for the last 
time on the white face of the old church-clock, and at exactly 
ten minutes past four, the beautiful and beloved bell-tower 
falls, and the Old South meeting-house is no more. 

To the memory of the "Old South Church of Hallowell," 
remains this tribute from the pen of Miss Mary A. Moody: 

The Old South Church of Hallowell! 
Sweet and clear, like a silver bell, 
Like breath of spring or song of birds, 
Come to many, these simple words. 
The stranger may pass with careless eye, 
The liquid syllables heedless by: 
Not so the hearts that have loved it well, 
The Old South Church of Hallowell! 

How rose that Church from the lowly sod, 
When the best they had men gave to God, 
Hewn from the heart of the living tree, 
Tall, and goodly, and fair to see? 
Slowly it rose, to their waiting eyes, 
A holy thing for sacrifice. — 
With earnest heart and purpose true, 
They "builded better than they knew." 



The Old South Church 205 

No stately ritual echoed there: 
Few and simple the words of prayer; 
The consecration need scarce be spoken ; 
The House was God's without word or token: 
It was built for God — it was built for man; 
A Church of Christ, on the Master's plan. 
They passed it on to our love and care, 
Their holy and beautiful House of Prayer. 

Is it dead? Did it die when it passed from sight, 

'Twixt dark and dawn that wintry night? 

Die — Is there any such word as die, 

For faith and love and loyalty? 

Doth God forget the hands that wrought 

To make just here a hallowed spot? 

The words, from lips growing white and set, 

"Remember the Church!" Doth he forget? 

Pour out the silver — pour out the gold. 
In the Master's ear let the tale be told. 
From near and far must the treasure come ; 
Ye wanderers — send of your fulness home, 
From bursting bags or the widow's hand. 
With an equal eye, each gift is scanned. 
And large or small, they shall all be one. 
When the Master saith to his own, "Well done." 

Spotless and pure, must our temple rise, 

A holy thing for sacrifice; 

Hewn from the heart of the solid rock 

Patiently, carefully, block by block. 

Faint not nor fail; it shall well endure; 

Not alone ye toil; the work is sure. 

Do they watch the piling, those men of yore? 

The Master watcheth; it may be more. 

The Old South Church of Hallowell! 
Ay, build it strong, and build it well. 
To stand once more where it stood so long. 
For right and truth— a shame to wrong. 
Those liquid syllables cannot die: 
List to the echo floating by. 
Sweet and clear like a silver bell. 
The Old South Church of Hallowell! 

The corner-stone of the new "Old South" was laid May 
21, 1883; and on October 28, 1885, a beautiful granite church 



2o6 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

was dedicated as a temple to the Lord. To-day, instead of the 
old familiar belfrey, a Gothic spire arises upon our sight; and in 
place of the sweet-toned old English instrument stands a grand 
modern organ presented to the church by Mrs. Henry Sampson, 
of New York, in memory of her father, Deacon Simon Page. 
But the old Old South is not forgotten, nor has its glory 
departed from our gates. 

During all these years, however, Hallowell had not been 
without other houses of worship. The Rev. Jesse Lee, the 
pioneer apostle of Methodism in New England, preached at 
Hallowell, October 13, 1793, and made some converts to his 
fold. The Methodist Society grew and flourished, and, in 
1825-6, the church, now standing on Middle Street, was erected. 
Among the notable early ministers of this church were the 
Rev. Mark Trafton, of some literary fame; the Rev. D. B. 
Randall, a man of power and influence in his day; the Rev. 
Charles F. Allen, a scholarly and devout man, who lifted his 
people to a higher intellectual and spiritual plane than they 
had before attained; the Rev. Charles Morse of saintly 
memory; and the Rev. Caleb Fuller who was no less revered as 
a pastor than beloved as a friend. 

The Baptist Church was organized in 1807. Its most 
famous early ministers were the Rev. D. Chessman and the 
Rev. S. Adlam, under whose ministry the church "enjoyed 
revivals of marked power," and a constantly increasing mem- 
bership. The Baptish Church, built in 1821, was destroyed by 
fire in 1868. The loss of this venerated landmark, and of its 
sweet-toned bell, was greatly deplored by the people of Hal- 
lowell. 

The Universalist Society was founded May 8, 1842, and 
the church was built in 1843. Its first pastor was the Rev. N. 
Gunnison. This church had a large and influential fellowship, 
and its choir was composed of some of the best musicians in 
the town. Its history belongs chiefly to the last half of the 
century. 

The Unitarian Society first met in the old Academy in 
1823, under the ministry of the Rev. C. C. Everett. In 1824, 
a church was built; Mr. Everett was ordained as pastor and 



The Old South Church 207 

officiated with great acceptance for several years. A large 
number of wealthy and influential families united with this 
church; and it soon became necessary to enlarge the building 
in order to accommodate the congregation. Mr. Everett was 
succeeded by Mr. Miles, an energetic, philanthropic man 
of broad mind and evangelical spirit. He was followed by the 
Rev. Mr. Cole, the last of the settled ministers. During the 
closing years of Mr. Cole's service, his congregation was thinned 
by the death or removal from town of many of his members; 
and, a few years later, the church was finally closed. In 1868, 
it was sold to the Baptist Society, and remodeled. In its 
original form, this old church was quite unlike any other meet- 
ing-house in town. It was a plain rectangular edifice, with no 
steeple, and no bell, but with a recessed portico, in the east 
front, supported by four large Doric columns, which gave the 
church an air of classic dignity and simple grandeur. The 
other churches of Hallowell were not organized until a later 
period. The Old South remained, for many years, the domi- 
nant church, and doubtless, at times, it did "rule Hallowell 
with an iron hand." For a long period the other churches 
struggled against the tide of popular sentiment. The Baptists 
were at first looked upon with disfavor; the Methodists were 
regarded as "wild-fire"; the Unitarians, though cultured and 
wealthy, were considered heretical; the Universalists were out- 
spokenly dangerous, and the certainty of their salvation was 
seriously questioned by many people. But in spite of all this, the 
combined efforts of all these denominations stimulated, deep- 
ened, and broadened the religious sentiment of the people, 
and produced a law-abiding, God-fearing community. "In the 
early days of the Old South," writes the Rev. J. H. Ingraham, 
"there was but one road to heaven. Afterwards, a good many 
gates were put up across it, for every man would go in at his 
own gate; but we trust that all will find themselves coming out 
on the right road at last." 



XIII 
THE HALLOWELL ACADEMY 

AND OTHER SCHOOLS 

"Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." 
— Dedicatory Address, May 5, 1795. 

^^ N OLD-TIME New England matron once said to her 
^^L little son, "Child, if God make thee a good Christian 
^^^^ and a good scholar, thou hast all thy mother ever 
^^ asked for thee." This sentence expresses the spirit 

that prevailed in Old Hallowell in the days of its early found- 
ers. The first thought of the early settlers was for a church, 
that they might make good Christians of their children; their 
next thought was for the establishment of an institution 
of learning, that they might make good scholars of their sons 
and daughters. Accordingly, very soon after their first meet- 
ing-house was built at the Fort, a movement was organized for 
the founding of a permanent school of liberal learning. On 
August 31, 1 79 1, an act for the incorporation and endowment 
of an Academy at Hallowell Hook was signed by Governor 
Hancock, and passed by the General Court of Massachussetts. 

This Academy, in accordance with the design of its 
founders, was a strictly classical school; and upon its board of 
trustees were some of the ablest and best educated men of the 
Kennebec valley. A building was erected and made ready for 
occupancy in May, 1795, at which time, a "splendid seal" was 
presented to the institution by Charles Vaughan, Esq., and a 
dedicatory sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Bradford of 
Pownalborough. 

Mr. Woodman was the first preceptor of the Academy; 
and the school opened with well-warranted expectations of suc- 
cess. At the end of the first year, there were about forty 
students in attendance; and a public exhibition was given to 
demonstrate to the friends of the institution the progress made 



The Halloxvell Academy 209 

by the pupils. On this occcasion, as we read in the cokimns 
of the Tocsin for May 10, 1796, "the exercises consisted of 
several orations in English, Latin, and Greek, and of a 
number of pertinent and interesting dialogues, which so 
affected the audience that they at times were unable to re- 
strain their I'isibles, and again their eyes were dashed with 
tears." The programme was enlivened by "vocal and instru- 
mental music, under the direction of Mr. Belcher, the Handel 
of Maine." 

The number of pupils at the Academy rapidly increased. 
They came not only from Hallowell, but from Augusta, 
Gardiner, and other neighboring towns. The farmers' sons 
and the ambitious sailor lads often saved enough from their 
scanty wages to pay their tuition for several years ; and were 
proud to be numbered among the students of the famous Hal- 
lowell Academy. The establishment of this school added 
materially to the upbuilding of the town, as many desirable 
new settlers were attracted to Hallowell by its educational 
advantages; and the influence of the institution upon the intel- 
lectual life of the people, at this period, proved inestimable. 

Mr. Woodman was succeeded, in 1797, by Preceptor 
Samuel Moody who conducted the school most successfully for 
eight years. Then followed a long line of preceptors, among 
whom were William Kinne, Joseph Lovejoy, John Hubbard, 
D. R. Goodwin, James W. Bradbury, James Withington, Francis 
Waterhouse, Charles B. Chace, and other able instructors. 

Among the many notable men who received their early 
education at the Hallowell Academy were : Samuel Merrick, 
Esq., owner of extensive machine manufactories in Philadel- 
phia, and one of the most prominent and public-spirited 
residents of that city; Thomas B. Merrick, Esq., of German- 
town, a wealthy merchant who devoted much of his life to 
scholarly pursuits; the eminent clergymen, John A. Vaughan, 
George B. Cheever, Henry T. Cheever, John H. Ingraham, 
and Dr. Elias Bond, missionary to Hawaii; the well-known 
authors, Jacob and John S. C. Abbott; the Hon. John H. 
Sheppard, Hon. George Evans, Hon. Ruel Williams and Hon. 
William H. Clark; Chief Justice Nathan Weston; Charles 



210 Old Hallowell on the Kemiebec 

Shaw, author of the History of Boston; the Rev. Henry V. 
Emmons, Charles Dummer, Esq., Hon. Rufus K. Page, Hon. 
John O. Page; Gorham D. Oilman and Henry W. Severance, 
Consuls-General from Hawaii to United States ports; Captain 
Charles A. Curtiss, military instructor in Wisconsin Univer- 
sity; Captain John H.Drew, author of sketches of ocean life 
and foreign travel; General A. S. Dearborn, General Oliver O. 
Howard, Captain John Hubbard, General Thomas H. Hubbard, 
Professor Charles F. Richardson of Dartmouth College; and 
others whose names are well remembered. 

The names of the teachers and pupils of the old Academy 
recall many pleasant reminiscences. Among the earlier pre- 
ceptors, Samuel Moody taught for the longest time, and his 
personality and character have been preserved by several vivid 
bits of pen-portraiture. The Hon. John H. Sheppard writes: 
■**I was seven years under the care of Samuel Moody, preceptor 
of the Hallowell Academy, a thorough Dartmouth scholar and 
superior instructor. I can see, in the visions of the past, his 
tall majestic form, like an admiral on the deck of his frigate, 
treading the academic floor, arrayed in smallclothes, the cos- 
tume of his time, with his bright blue eye watching over his 
one hundred pupils at their desks. He was severe at times, 
but affectionate, and used the ferule as a sceptre of righteous- 
ness. I loved him, and was a favorite, for he let me study the 
Eclogues of Virgil in school hours under the groves of the 
Academy. His scholars turned out well in the world." 

Mr. J. H. Ingraham, in his Lights and Shadozvs of the 
Past, states that "The Hallowell Academy was always under 
the charge of a learned man of influence and character, and 
usually he was of great personal dignity. His title was always 
that of 'Preceptor'. . . . Old Preceptor Moody was a gentle- 
man excellently well calculated to preside at the head of an 
academy of the highest classical rank and popularity which this 
school then enjoyed. He was of large stature, inclined to cor- 
pulency, with a good deal of the air of an old-school gentleman. 
He usually dressed in a snuff-colored, broad-skirted coat, and 
black or buff short-clothes, with silver buckles, and white, or 
in wet weather, greyish mixed long hose. He carried a gold- 



The Halloivell Academy 211 

headed India cane with a tassel of white leather. He wore his 
hair in a queue, and as he powdered of a Sunday and on exam- 
ination days, his shoulders were usually sprinkled with the 
white dust. We stood in great awe of this Preceptor. He had 
a very stern voice and was a rigid disciplinarian ; but in society 
he was amiable and courteous. To us lads he was an object of 
awe. He was very partial to scanning Virgil, and used to drill 
us until we heartily wished there had never been such a poet as 
Maro born. He particularly loved to hear himself scan that 
famous line which describes the trotting of a horse, and which 
is supposed to represent the sound of the quadrupedanting 
steed over the resounding ground. 

" 'Hush! Do you not absolutely hear the horse trotting in 
that line.?' he one day triumphantly asked us, as he, for our 
example and also for our admiration, sonorously scanned the 
line. At the precise instant of his question an old white nag 
that used to crop the grass on our playground, suddenly 
trotted rapidly past the school-room door at exactly the 
measure at which the Preceptor had read the line. We all 
laughed, every imp of us, for it was irresistible. I can see the 
Preceptor's smiling eyes twinkle now, as he calmly waved his 
hand after he thought we had laughed quite as much as was 
necessary, and with a triumphant air looked around at his 
Virgil class as he said with honest enthusiasm, 'there you have 
had an illustration, young gentlemen, from nature; and you 
must allow that mine was the most natural.' 

William Kinne, who succeeded Samuel Moody, was an 
able and successful teacher. He was the reputed author of 
Kinne s Arithmetic which was in use until 1840, in the schools 
of Maine. But it is stated on unquestionable authority ' that 
the arithmetic, which was published in Mr. Kinne's name, was 
really prepared by Mr. William Allen, of Norridgewock, who 
was an assistant teacher at the Academy when Mr. Kinne was 
preceptor. 

The Hon. James W. Bradbury, who resided in Augusta 
until the advanced age of ninety-seven years, was never weary 

' Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Second Series, Vol. II, p. 382. 



212 Old Hallowell ojt the Kennebec 

of talking of the time when he was preceptor of the old Hal- 
lowell Academy, (1825-6), and of the cultured homes and the 
charming women of Hallowell. Mr. William H. Page has also 
given us some very interesting reminiscences of school life in 
the old Hallowell Academy. He tells us of one preceptor who 
studied law during the school hours and who was very impa- 
tient if interrupted in that occupation by the slightest infraction 
of the strict rule of silence, and who, if annoyed by any of the 
small boys in the front seats, would send his ruler flying 
against the culprit's head. 

Under Mr. Joseph Lovejoy, in 1829, new methods were in- 
troduced, and a female department, conducted by Miss Sibyl 
Lovejoy, was added to the school. "Preceptor Lovejoy," 
writes Mr. Page, "was a manly Christian, strict enough in 
discipline, but never resorting to punishment of any kind ; the 
ferule was neither used nor required to keep order in the 
school. He was not at all concerned that his dignity might 
suffer when he occasionally stood by encouraging the lads in 
their out-door amusements. " Mr. Lovejoy even established a 
rude gymnasium and instructed the lads in healthful exercises. 
He also entertained the boys in his own home, and gave lec- 
tures and talks to them on electricity and other interesting 
subjects. By these means he won not only the respect, but the 
affection of his pupils ; and he is remembered as one of the 
ablest and most popular of the early preceptors of the Acad- 
emy. 

Daniel Raynes Goodwin, D. D., LL. D., Preceptor of the 
Hallowell Academy from 1832 to 1834, was a man of rare 
character and of scholarly attainments. He was born in North 
Berwick, Maine, April 12, 181 1, graduated from Bowdoin Col- 
lege, at the head of his class, in 1832, and came immediately to 
Hallowell where, as preceptor of the Academy, he disclosed 
those traits of mind and character that marked his after life. 
In 1837, after having spent two years in travel and study in 
Europe, he was elected Professor of Modern Languages to suc- 
ceed Professor Longfellow at Bowdoin College. In 1847, Pro- 
fessor Goodwin was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal 
Church. He was afterward President of Trinity College, 



The Hallow ell Academy 213 

Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, and, in 1864, Dean 
of the Philadelphia Divinity School. He was a profound 
thinker and scholarly writer, and was the author of nearly one 
hundred treatises on educational, philosophical, and religious 
subjects. It was said by the Rev. C. C. Everett that Professor 
Goodwin possessed two distinctions that contributed to his suc- 
cess as a teacher. One was that ''he taught^ "His hour 
was crammed full of instruction." The other distinction was 
"his habit of inviting the students to his house to tea," — a 
social innovation in those days, but one of mutual advantage to 
both professor and student. Professor Goodwin's name is held 
in perpetual remembrance, at Bowdoin, as the founder of the 
Goodwin Commencement prize. 

Another side of Professor Goodwin's character v/hich gave 
a brilliant lustre to his memory was "that mirthfulness and 
general enjoyment of what was really bright and clever in 
literature, in persons, in social and domestic life, which made 
him, in his own home, the center of a group of young people, 
delighting himself and them with witty things of all kinds." ' 

Professor Goodwin married in 1838, Mary Merrick, daugh- 
ter of Samuel and Hannah Merrick, and niece of John Merrick, 
Esq., of Hallowell. Their children now living are: Anna 
Harriet, wife of Mr. Benjamin Vaughan of Cambridge; Mary, 
widow of the late Dr. William Canfield Spencer, U. S. A.; and 
Harold Goodwin, Esq., of Philadelphia. Mrs. Daniel Raynes 
Goodwin was known in her girlhood in Hallowell as "pretty 
Mary Merrick. " Her personal charms and loveliness of char- 
acter are disclosed in her home life in Brunswick, Hartford, 
and Philadelphia. Professor Smyth speaks of her "engaging 
gifts," and "charming home" which was "a perpetual fountain 
of knowledge and life." Another Bowdoin friend describes the 
home life of the Goodwins as "simple, unconventional, orderly, 
refined, and Christian." Of Dr. Goodwin it has been truly 
said that "Christian faith was the dominating keynote of his 
life." ^ He was a man of strong piety in the noblest meaning of 



' Memoir of Daniel Raynes Goodwin, p. 4 
^ Ibid. p. 9 



214 Old Hallotvell on the Kennebec 

the word. His epitaph may be fittingly written in words of 
his own choice: 

'A servant of Jesus Christ, and for him a teacher of 
Men.' " 

Preceptor Withington was a "master" of the old-fashioned 
dominant type who, while he held the school in wholesome 
awe, was greatly respected by his pupils. He has been de- 
scribed as "a tall, angular man, who walked the platform with 
a long, straight stick, which he called a demonstrator, and 
impressed his pupils like a king with a sceptre." His faculty 
for imparting instruction was remarkable. A lady who, in her 
youth, was under the instruction of Preceptor Withington, re- 
cently said to me: "It made no difference whether the boys 
and girls wished to learn or not — learn they must!" One of 
the "over the river" boys has left us some pleasant remi- 
niscences of his personal experience in Master Withington's 
school. 

"I came, with some other boys, from that part of the 
town opposite Loudon Hill. At Sheppard's wharf, we joined 
the scholars from the Hill, each with a green satchel for his 
books. It was a busy thoroughfare for us filled with great 
things, — the road that took us to the Academy. The school- 
room was so different from ours over the river; nice benches 
and seats, large windows, a clean, cheerful, airy place. . . . 
Mr. Withington's hobby was chemistry and he was second to 
none in the state in that branch of study. . . . But with 
all his passion for his studies, and all of his labors in the labora- 
tory he always found time for a little music. Like many a 
young man he had learned to play upon the flute. W^hen he 
found scholars enough for a choir, he introduced singing into 
the school. He sang bass himself and we could always carry 
three parts. He was very proud of this. But I think he 
liked the blackboard better than music. If he could only get 
us all deep into algebra, he was delighted. How our brains 
cracked and heads ached with the problems he gave us to 
solve. . . . He was fitting a class for college, and as we 
were all in one room, what he said to one class was, of 
course, listened to by the whole school. ... It always 



The Hall o%v ell Academy 215 

seemed to me that those that did not study languages and 
chemistry were as deep in them as those who did. I learned 
French, almost as fast from hearing his class as though I had 
been in it. Je n oublierai jamais ^ 

Two other pupils, Miss Helen Freeman and Miss Jennie 
W. Paine, acquired the rudiments of Greek by hearing Mr. 
Withington's class recite. When the Preceptor discovered 
this fact, he invited these two young ladies to enter the class 
with the young men who were taking their college preparatory 
courses. This caused some disaffection, as girls had never 
before been permitted to study Greek at the Academy. Both 
of these young ladies made a record for brilliant and thorough 
scholarship. Miss Freeman is still a highly-esteemed teacher in 
Burlington, New Jersey, where she has fitted many boys for 
their college examinations in Greek. 

The strong personality and successful methods of "Master 
Withington" made a deep and lasting impression on the com- 
munity, and under his instruction the school attained a wide 
reputation. In 1853, Mr. Withington was called to German- 
town, Pennsylvania, as Principal of its classical academy which 
he made famous, during his long service there, by the scholarly 
and well-trained students whom he sent forth to the great 
universities of the country. Mr. Withington married Alfreda 
Bosworth... He. died at Amboy, New Jersey, in 1877, leaving 
one son, Augustus PI., and one daughter, Alfreda B. Withing- 
ton, M. D., of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 

Mr. Francis Ashbury Waterhouse is remembered as one of 
the most successful and highly-esteemed preceptors of the 
Hallowell Academy. He was a man whose personal influence 
was a potent factor in stimulating a love of study, and whose 
method of instruction brought his classes to a high degree of 
excellence. Mr. Waterhouse fitted for college in the Hallowell 
Academy under Mr. Withington. He graduated from Bowdoin 
in 1857, and taught a while in the South before beginning his 
work in his home town. His ability as an instructor was soon 
recognized abroad, and more influential and lucrative positions 
soon lured him away from Hallowell. He taught most success- 
fully the High Schools of Augusta and West Newton; and, in 



2i6 Old Hallowell on the Ketmebec 

1880, was elected head master of the EngHsh High School in 
Boston, where, as a contemporary writer states, "he lent a hand 
in teaching some thousands of Bostonese ideas how to shoot," 
and established an enviable reputation as one of the foremost 
educators of the day. The following tribute to Mr. Waterhouse 
is taken from the Boston Netvs: "Few, if any, men are better 
known to the rising urban generation than Master Francis 
Ashbury Waterhouse of the English High School. . . . 
Master Waterhouse is a familiar figure upon the streets. He 
is tall and keen-eyed, and has gray hair and a luxuriant gray 
beard. . . . He is immensely popular with the boys of the 
'English High.' . . . As a teacher he is very successful, 
inspiring his classes with much of his own enthusiasm. He 
has great capacity for work, and is thoroughly in love with his 
noble profession." Mr. Waterhouse died in Paris while at the 
height of his successful career, leaving one son to bear his 
honored name. 

The first building used as an academy was burned in 1804. 
The second building was a two-story wooden edifice, painted 
white, the "chief glory" of which was a bell-tower with a Paul 
Revere bell. This building also was destroyed by fire, in 1839. 
The brick building now standing was erected in 1841, and 
remodelled in 1890. It was originally a rectangular edifice, of a 
simple yet dignified style of architecture, with a classic portico 
supported by tall Doric columns. 

It is to this classic old Academy, as it stood before its 
remodeling in 1890, that the hearts of the boys and girls of my 
own generation went out in love and grateful reverence; and it 
may safely be said that there was never a better school of its 
class than that taught at the Hallowell Academy, in the "fam- 
ous sixties," when Mr. Charles B. Chace was preceptor. This 
institution was then doing a splendid and enduring work in the 
mental and moral culture of its pupils. Mr. Chace was a man 
far in advance of his times, and eminently fitted for the head of 
such a school. His methods were based entirely on the prin- 
ciples of self-government and mutual improvement; and the 
ideals of true manhood and womanhood were daily inculcated. 
Every branch of learning was made perfectly plain and prac- 



The Hallozvell Academy 217 

tical, from "bookkeeping by double entry" to the calculating of 
eclipses. Each boy and girl honestly aspired to the best work 
possible; but woe to him or her who pretended to know any- 
thing that he or she did not know! There was some intangible 
element in the atmosphere of the school that tolerated no false 
pretensions. The principle of living and working "upon 
honor" was unconsciously absorbed by the pupil from the very 
personality of the teacher. To have been under the instruction 
and influence of such a man pro\-ed a life-long inspiration to his 
pupils. 

During the preceptorship of Mr. Charles B. Chace the 
school attained a degree of mental and moral culture unexcelled 
in the long and honorable history of the institution; and under 
his methods, which were most unusual in his day, the Hallowell 
Academy reached the climax of its power and usefulness. 
There are not a few grown-up boys and girls in the world to-day 
— and their faces stand out plainly before me as I write — who 
gratefully acknowledge themselves wiser and better for their 
school life with Mr. Chace in the old Hallowell Academy. To 
these friends of my youth, I here inscribe the lines : 



AVE ET VALE 

Shrined in our hearts, forever fair, there stands 

A pillared temple rising to the sun ; 
Not grander were the courts of Eastern lands ; 

Not prouder was the peerless Parthenon. 

Here open vistas led through all the earth; 

Here Knowledge sat enthroned with starry crown 
Here all the glorious dreams of youth had birth ; 

Here let the heavens their solemn secrets down. 

O happy temple on the sloping hill, 

We hear afar thy softly ringing bell, 

And send, in answer, words that throb and thrill, — 
Ave et vale! Greeting and farewell ! 

Farewell ! unto the old familiar gates, 

The stately columns and the halls of j'^ore ; 

Hail ! to the newly risen fane that waits 

With all the future beckoning at the door. 



2i8 Old Hallotvell on the Kennebec 

Hail ! to the tread of countless eager feet 

That come and go the symphony to swell ; 

Hail and farewell ! unto the phantoms sweet, 
That haunt thy shades, beloved Hallowell ! 

Fair olden city on the river's shore. 

Thou, through a measured century, hast kept 

The grand inheritance our fathers bore, 

When to thy wilds across the seas they swept. 

And prized with liberty of life and faith, 

Thy honored schools their proud traditions tell 

Long mayst thou hear the echoing strain that saith: 
Ave et vale! Greeting and farewell ! 



The mission of the old Hallowell Academy, during its 
flourishing existence of more than three-quarters of a century, 
was nobly and fully accomplished. It did not, however, cover 
the whole field of education in Hallowell, but was supplemented 
by private and public schools for children, by the Vaughan 
Female Academy, and by the High School which, however, was 
not established until 1840. 

One of the earliest educational institutions of the town was 
a typical "dame school," taught by Madame Bills, familiarly 
known in her later years as "Granny Bills." The school of 
Madame Bills was kept in her own little cottage located beneath 
a great willow-tree on the banks of the Kennebec. Madame 
Bills had all the latest and most improved methods of instruc- 
tion of her time. She taught her children their daily lessons 
from one of the famous old hornbooks then in use, as they 
were in Shakespeare's day. The hornbook was a wooden 
frame holding a single page on which was printed the alphabet, 
the numerals, and usually the Lord's Prayer. This page was 
covered with a sheet of transparent horn, to preserve the text 
while the children learned their lessons. Hornbooks were 
also, sometimes, by some anomaly, made of gingerbread. 
Matthew Prior, in his Alma, speaks of the gingerbread hornbook 
which is given by the "English Maid" to "Master John;" — 

"And that the child may learn the better, 
As he can name, he eats the letter. " 



Madame Remingtons School 2ig 

I cannot say that Madame Bills ever sweetened the path 
of learning for her pupils by giving them hornbooks of ginger- 
bread, but I have been assured, by one who knew from good 
authority, that she never "used the twig." The fool's cap was 
considered supreme punishment in the school of Madame Bills. 
This notable founder of the "dame schools" of Hallowell lived 
to be over ninety-six years of age. In her later years Granny 
Bills was very poor, and her old house down in "Joppa," be- 
came so dilapidated that it was in danger of falling upon her 
head. So her kind neighbors built a little new house for her in 
the locality where the old one had stood. In this new abode 
Granny Bills placed her bedstead, her Queen Anne chest of 
drawers, her broom, and her light-stand with her big Bible up- 
on it; and here, with the simple necessities of life, provided by 
the good people of Hallowell, Granny Bills lived in peace and 
happiness the remainder of her days. 

Another and far more ambitious establishment was the 
"Boarding and Day School" of Madame Remington which was 
established in 1810. No better description of this school at its 
most flourishing period, can be given than in Madame 
Remington's ov/n announcement in the American Advocate. 



Mrs. REMINGTON respectfully informs the inhabitants 
of Hallowell, and the public in general, that she has taken a 
pleasant and commodious house at the corner of Winthrop and 
2d Streets, at which place she will on Monday the 21st instant, 
open an ACADEMY for the instruction of young ladies — 
where will be taught the following branches, viz: Reading, 
Writing, English Grammar, Arithmetic, Composition, Geogra- 
phy, the use of the Globes and Maps, and the elements of 

History. Also Drawing, Painting, Embroidery, Filigree; 

with every kind of useful and ornamental Needle-work. 
TERMS: Board per Quarter $27. Tuition pr. do. from $4 
to $10. 

Mrs. REMINGTON assures those parents who may 
entrust their children to her care, that every attention shall be^ 
paid to their morals, manners and improvement. 



220 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

N. B. Music and Dancing Masters, are engaged, 
should a sufficient number of pupils offer. 



After four successful years, Mrs. Remington was succeeded 
by. Mrs. Boardman who opened a Boarding and Day School 
"for the instruction of Young Ladies in the Useful and Orna- 
mental Branches of education." She adds, to the curriculum 
of her predecessor, "Painting on Velvet," $9.00; and music on 
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. 

Mrs. Boardman was a woman of pleasing personality who 
was always gowned in white and who "had two clean dresses 
every week." Her art classes were especially popular. "Paint- 
ing on velvet" was an expensive accomplishment, but water 
colors were within the means of all the pupils. Flower paint- 
ing was a specialty; and Mrs. Boardman was, doubtless, the 
originator of that long line of perpetual, ever-blooming, never- 
fading, pink-and-green moss-rosebuds which are still preserved 
in their pristine freshness in many of the old houses in 
Hallowell. 

The pupils in Mrs. Boardman's school, not at all behind 
the progressive young people of to-day, organized an art club, 
which is delightfully described by Miss Sallucia Abbott: 

"There were a dozen or more of us who all attended Mrs. 
Boardman's school for Young Misses, so that we were all 
friends and schoolmates together. There were Mary and 
Lucia, Louisa and Julia, Lucy and Caroline, Mary Jane, 
Emeline and myself, and perhaps some others that I do not now 
recollect. The little girl, at whose house we met, generally had 
the use of her mother's parlor for the occasion. We had no 
officers, and no form about our association. We sat around the 
table in the seats we chanced to take when we came in, and 
talked together pleasantly while we worked. Mary and Lucia 
were a little older than the rest of us, and were better acquaint- 
ed with the art; and we naturally went to them for assistance in 
all difficult parts; so that they were in reality our teachers; and 
the benefit that we derived from these meetings was in a great 
measure derived from them. Thus we spent two hours in 



Miss Polly Salisbury s School 221 

drawing and painting landscapes and flowers, and all sorts of 
things, chatting together, admiring each other's work, and ask- 
ing each other's advice, and having, as the children say, an 
'excellent time,' — [forgive us, dear Aunt Sallucia, but did they 
really say an "excellent" time?] — and at four o'clock the port- 
folios were refilled, and we all resorted to the yards and gardens 
for a run among the flowers. At five o'clock we were all 
wending our way home to take tea with our parents." 

This story, in The Alcove, is of especial interest because we 
know that the nice little girls therein mentioned were real little 
girls who truly lived in Hallowell, and had the painting parties 
at their very own houses. We know too what their real names 
were, for have not our mothers told us? — that is, all but that of 
"Mary Jane." "Mary" was Mary Perley, daughter of Squire 
Perley, and afterwards, Mrs. William Lane; "Lucia" was Lucia 
Brown; "Louisa" was Louisa Perley, afterwards Mrs. John 
Dumont; "Julia" was Julia Page, daughter of Dr. Benjamin 
Page; "Lucy" was Lucy Dummer, who married Samuel K. 
Kilman; "Emeline" was Emeline Page, daughter of John O. 
Page, who married Wilmot Wood of Wiscasset; "myself," who, 
in the words of the writer, ends the list, was "Aunt Sallucia 
Abbott." But — who was "Mary Jane?" 

Another notable dame school was that taught by Miss 
Polly Salisbury. Miss Polly reigned about the year of Our Lord 
1835. Under her regime several innovations were introduced 
into the dame school. Miss Polly believed in co-education, and 
took boys as well as girls for pupils. She was a strict dis- 
ciplinarian and some of her punishments v/ere original and 
very efficacious. In addition to the fool's cap and the dunce's 
stool, Miss Polly had what she called the "tattle-rag." This 
was a rectangular piece of cloth, made of stripes of different 
colors, which was pinned to the back of those children who told 
tales of their fellow pupils. 

Miss Polly is remembered as a sweet and cheery little 
woman, very bright and quick at repartee. Her career as a 
teacher terminated with her marriage to Samuel Page, Esq., of 
Wiscasset, in 1840. After Miss Polly's day, numerous other 
juvenile schools flourished. One of the most notable was that 



222 Old Hallozuell on the Kennebec 

of Miss Bergen who is said to have been "a Hving illustration 
of manners." 



The private school for young ladies in Hallowell reached 
the height of its development and usefulness in the "Female 
Academy" founded by the Rev. John Apthorp Vaughan. This 
model school for girls was an institution far in advance of its 
time. It was conducted by a man of liberal education, inher- 
ited culture, and most impressive character; and it speedily 
acquired a wide reputation. The school was located on Central 
Street in a new edifice described, in a contemporary journal, as 
"a spacious, convenient building of truly classic architecture," 
and was furnished with all the best educational appliances of 
the day. 

Mr. Vaughan was assisted in the school by Miss Mary 
Merrick, who taught the younger children, and who was greatly 
beloved and admired by all the students. Miss Merrick, as we 
are told by an old lady who had been a member of the school, 
was accustomed, on summer afternoons, to return to her 
classes, in fresh and dainty attire, with ribbons and slippers of 
a color that matched her gown. This artistic touch in Miss 
Merrick's costume made a great impression on the minds of her 
adoring pupils. 

The Vaughan School was patronized by the best families 
of Hallowell, and many young ladies came from other towns to 
enjoy the educational advantages here afforded. A few of 
these pupils were received into the Vaughan household where 
much attention was paid to their physical, mental, and moral 
development. 

Four, at least, of the students of the old Vaughan 
Academy are now living. They are Mrs. Caroline F. Dole of 
Norridgewock, Mrs. Emeline L. Percival of Cambridge, Miss 
Elizabeth Clark of Waltham, and Mrs. De La Croix of Oxford, 
North Carolina; and in letters recently written, they all 
testify to the superior methods of instruction, and to the re- 
fining and elevating influences of this famous and long-remem- 
bered school. 



The Vaughan Female Academy 223 

From those letters, I have been able to learn the names of 
a number of the pupils who attended Mr. Vaughan's Academy 
in 1831 and 1832. They were: Caroline Fletcher (Mrs. 
Nathan Dole), Susan F. Preston (Mrs. M. Clapp), and 
Sarah Selden (Mrs. McCobb), from Norridgewock; Isabella 
Williams (Mrs. Frederic Freeman), Elizabeth Williams (Mrs. 
Judge Redington), Lucy Williams (Mrs. William Woart), 
Elizabeth T. Tappan (Mrs. Edwin B. Webb), Caroline Potter 
(Mrs. Stephen Deering), Augusta Vose (Mrs. Jacob W. Mc. 
Maine), Ellen Emmons, and Jane Tappan, from Augusta; 
Ellen Evans (Mrs. Lally) from Gardiner; Sarah Sherman 
and Rebecca Ford from Newcastle. The list of Hallovvell 
pupils, which is very incomplete, gives the names of Charlotte 
Sewall(Mrs. Eastman), Joanna Sewall(Mrs. Lemont), Charlotte 
Wales (Mrs. Frederick Allen), Caroline Gardiner (Mrs. Hatha- 
way), Mary Wingate (Mrs. William Nason), Sarah W. Wales, 
Emeline Davis, (Mrs. Warren Percival), Eliza Pollard, Ellen 
Ladd, Annie Dole (Mrs. Titcomb), of Alemada, California; 
Isadore Allen and sister, Hannah, Anna, and Mary Dole, 
— the latter, Mrs. De La Croix, of Oxford, North Carolina. 

In his system of teaching, Mr. Vaughan was original and 
most successful. Globes and maps were used, and object 
lessons made the studies easy and interesting for the younger 
pupils. Much attention was given to history and literature, 
and the subjects were presented in a broad way and not in the 
mere text-book style. There was also a good deal of written 
work, and spelling and dictation exercises were frequent. In 
later years, when modern methods and new ideas in teaching 
were mentioned, Mrs. Charlotte Allen would often say, "We 
used to do that at Mr. Vaughan's school." 

Mrs. De La Croix, now an old lady over eighty years of 
age, vividly recalls her childish impressions of this old school 
and the instances of moral suasion by which the pupils were 
governed. "There was never a punishment," she writes. 
"There were two sessions, and all stood up by their desks the 
last thing at night. Those who had not made any communi- 
cations could sit down. He (Mr. Vaughan) looked at each one 
as they stood, more or less saddened, and his face expressed his 



224 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

feelings; and every one of us regretted our failings and men- 
tally decided to be more careful not to grieve him. . . Mr. 
Vaughan had two minutes recess every half hour. A clock 
stood in plain sight and we all knew that when the little bell 
rang we could leave our seats and talk and exchange books. 
Communications were unnecessary. " 

Mrs. Caroline Fletcher Dole, one of the older scholars in 
the school, boarded in Mr. Vaughan's family, and thus had an 
opportunity to acquire a discerning and appreciative insight in- 
to the character of her teacher. She still speaks with the 
warmest affection of Mr. Vaughan, who was beloved and re- 
vered by all of his pupils, and especially of the moral influence 
of the school. "Dr. Vaughan," writes Mrs. Dole," "had the 
spiritual welfare of his scholars very much at heart and sought 
to influence them to lead a religious life. He had daily prayers 
in the home, and a short devotional exercise every morning in 
opening the school for the day." On the last day of the clos- 
ing term of the school, the morning reading, by a chance and 
touching coincidence, was the 20th chapter of Acts, in which 
Paul makes a parting address to the elders of the church. The 
students were deeply impressed and much affected by the 
closing verse: "Sorrowing most of all for the words which he 
spake, that they should see his face no more," 

In December, 1832, Mr. Vaughan, much to the regret of 
pupils, parents, and the whole community at Hallowell, closed 
his school, after its short but potent existence of two years. He 
soon afterwards became rector of the Church of the Mediator in 
Philadelphia. Twenty-two years later, on August 11, 1854, the 
pupils of the Hallowell Female Academy held a reunion at 
Hallowell and tendered a reception to Mr. Vaughan. A 
felicitous address was made on this occasion by the Rev. 
Daniel R. Goodwin; and a silver goblet was presented to the 
Rev. John A. Vaughan, D. D., by the pupils of the Hallowell 
Female Academy, "as a tribute of regard for their former 
teacher." 

One of the first acts of the newly organized town govern- 
ment of Hallowell, in the year 1797, was the appropriation of 



The First Town School 225 

five hundred dollars for "schooling." The fathers had evidently 
not forgotten the injunction laid upon them by the Rev. William 
Hazlitt, in his Thanksgiving sermon: "You should teach your 
children to read before you teach them to work!" and, although 
the Academy was well established at this time, the town did 
not neglect to provide for its public schools. 

The first town school of which we have record was kept in 
an old one-story building on Clark's lane, opposite Deacon 
Gow's house. A better and more commodious house was soon 
secured on Second Street, opposite the meeting-house. This 
building was known for many years as the Old South school- 
house. 

One of the old residents of Hallowell, under the name of 
"Senex," writes: 'Tt was an eventful day when we changed 
the old for the new school-house. Headed by the master, we 
formed two by two in solemn cavalcade, with our books under 
our arms to take possession of the new seminary. We had not 
much to carry, it is true. Our reading books then consisted, 
according to advancement in the class, of three volumes, to wit, 
The New England Primer, Webster s Spelling Book, and the 
New Testament. Probably you hardly know now in your 
primary schools what the New England Primer means. We 
knew it well, and it was the business of Master Haskell to see 
that on Saturday afternoon we said our Catechism. Old Parson 
Gillet also examined the pupils in his frequent visits to the 
school and heard them recite: 

'In Adam's fall 
We sinned all.' 

"Uncle John Sewall taught after Master Haskell. He was 
not a very learned man. He taught the three R's — Readin', 
Ritin', and 'Rithmetic — pretty well, and suffered the reading 
of Morse's Geography. But he was a stranger to Grammar." 

A much more learned man than "Uncle John," was Master 
Samuel Locke. He has been characterized as an "old-fashioned 
iron schoolmaster," who was "celebrated for breaking in incor- 
rigibles;" and yet it is said that he was "neither cruel nor 



226 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

unjust in the treatment of his scholars." Master Locke was a 
fine mathematician and an excellent teacher of navigation. 
Many of the Hallowell boys who became famous sea-captains 
received their elementary instruction in Master Locke's classes. 
This old-time pedagogue was undoubtedly a man of high 
attainments and, as a citizen, he was much respected. 

Prior to 1840, there were only two public schools in 
Hallowell, one in the Old South school-house, and the other 
in the brick school-house on Middle Street. Master Locke 
taught in the brick school-house, and the other school was for 
the children. As the Hallowell Academy and other private 
schools were patronized by many of the families in the town, 
the necessity of advanced public schools was not fully recog- 
nized until about 1 840, when an attempt was made to grade and 
improve the town schools. In this year the inhabitants, 
assembled in a "district meeting," voted to increase the school 
appropriation to $3000; and to erect a new double brick build- 
ing in the place of the old one, at a cost af $1200. The meas- 
ures at this time provided for a High school, a Grammar school, 
and the necessary primaries. 

Mr. Baker states that many excellent instructors have been 
employed in the Hallowell schools. In the girl's Grammar 
school, Sarah R. Parke "carried away the palm as an instructress 
who could not be excelled." Other successful teachers who 
were beloved by many successive classes of pupils were Caroline 
Yeaton, Caroline A. Perley, Elizabeth D. Pillsbury, Caroline A. 
Page (Mrs. Freeman), Ruth H. Nickerson (Mrs. Plaisted), 
Fannie L. Nye, and S. Louisa Gilman. "In the boy's Grammar 
school," writes Mr. Baker, "D. H. Goodno was a superior 
teacher and disciplinarian. Albert Thomas was very successful ; 
and J. B. Brackett incited his pupils to very faithful and profit- 
able study." The three most noteworthy instructors in the 
High School were, without question, Mr. Jonas Burnham, Mr. 
W. H. Seavey, and Mr. Alfred E. Buck. 

Mr. Jonas Burnham was ably equipped for his work and 
entered upon the task of organizing and maintaining the new 
High school, with great enthusiasm. His efforts were crowned 
with great success; and at the annual examinations of the 



The Hallowell High School 227 

school, some of his pupils showed remarkable proficiency in 
their studies. When it was announced to the public that Mr. 
Burnham had resigned his position as teacher of the Hallowell 
High School to go to another field of labor, there was a very 
general and sincere expression of regret from the pupils 
and friends of the school. The "big boys" were openly rebel- 
lious; and with that perverted sense of justice, often observed 
at such times, they vowed to "make things lively" for the next 
teacher. Very fortunately for the school and for Hallowell, the 
next teacher was Mr. W. N. Seavey. For the first few days after 
his arrival, the boys spared no effort to make matters uncom- 
fortable for Mr. Seavey; but gradually, imperceptibly, nobody 
exactly knew how, the atmosphere cleared, and before the first 
week of the term had ended, every boy and girl was the loyal 
supporter of the new master. Mr. Seavey's success and popu- 
larity were at once established, and were maintained until his 
resignation. He afterwards attained celebrity in the schools 
of Boston. 

A third teacher whose name and fame are a lasting honor 
to the records of the Hallowell High School was Mr. Alfred E. 
Buck. As a young man, and soon after his graduation from 
Waterville College, Mr. Buck came to Hallowell, and by his 
force and sincerity of character, and his thorough scholarship, 
he won the respect and devoted allegiance of his pupils. His 
term of service as a teacher in the Hallowell High School was 
remarkable for its success; and the friendship formed between 
Mr. Buck and his pupils was loyal and enduring. 

At the beginning of the Civil War, Mr. Buck entered the 
Union army as Captain of Company C, Thirtieth Maine 
Volunteers. Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he 
led his command in the assault upon Fort Blakely, Alabama, 
and was brevetted Colonel for his gallant conduct at the 
capture of that fortress. At the close of the war, Colonel 
Buck settled at the south. He was elected a member of the 
Constitutional Convention of Alabama, was a Presidential 
Elector for that state when Grant was elected President, and a 
member of Congress from 1869 to 1871. He removed to 
Atlanta, Georgia, in 1873, and was at the head of the Repubhcan 



228 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

party in that state for" eighteen years. He was Marshal of 
the United States for Georgia during the administration of 
Harrison; and was a delegate to five Republican National Con- 
ventions. He was also connected with many industries for 
developing the coal and iron resources of Alabama and 
Georgia, and was an important factor in the growth of the New 
South. 

In April, 1897, Colonel Buck was appointed United States 
Minister to Japan, by President McKinley, and served most 
successfully and acceptably until his death, which occurred in 
Tokyo, December 4, 1902. Many tributes to his official ability 
and success as minister at the court of Japan appeared, at the 
time of his death, in the Japanese and American press. He 
carried to his office a ripe knowledge of American politics, a 
keen insight into national affairs, and great administrative 
ability. While in Tokyo, he won the highest respect and 
esteem, and received marked recognition at the Japanese court. 
His term of service as United States minister was one of dis- 
tinction to himself and of honor to his country. He was a man, 
morally and mentally, of a large mould, and had within 
himself the elements of greatness. He lies buried, as he 
wished, in the cemetery at Arlington, with the nation's hon- 
ored dead. 



As we reach the close of our chapter, the stories of the old 
Hallowell Academy and of the Hallowell High School, by an 
unanticipated transition, merge into one. In 1873, both of 
these schools were united with the new Classical School. In 
1885, after the discontinuance of the Classical School, the 
High School was reopened, and established in the old Acad- 
emy building; and thus, this time-honored structure as re- 
modeled by the city fathers, remains today, a monument of 
the early and never-failing purpose of Hallowell to liberally 
educate her sons and daughters. 



XIV 
THE LIBRARIES OF HALLOWELL 

"Here is that 'etherial and fifth essence, the breath of reason 
itself, the seasoned life of men, preserved and stored up in books.' " 

— Rev. Henry V. Emmons. 

^^/^EXT to the schools of a town, in the influences that 
d\i develop the character, educate the mind, and perfect 
"P^ the intellectual and moral culture of the people, stand 
its private and public libraries. To every town or 
city, the schools are the absolutely essential source of intel- 
ligence, prosperity, and happiness in the community; but, from 
the libraries, emanate that subtle force and influence that 
perfect the work of the school, by expanding its budding 
growth into the blossom and fruitage of intellectual culture. 
Old Hallowell had the happy fate of having its schools, which 
were founded at the close of the eighteenth century, immedi- 
ately supplemented by most excellent private and public 
libraries. 

Among the early settlers at the Hook, there were not a 
few families, like the Merricks, the Pages, the Dummers, the 
Sheppards, and others, that brought with them a very excellent 
collection of goodly books; but upon the Vaughan library, 
Hallowell bases its claim of having within its limits, at the 
opening of the nineteenth century, the largest and most 
valuable library in New England, with the exception of that of 
Har\'ard College. 

The owner of this library. Dr. Benjamin Vaughan, who 
came to Hallowell in 1797, was one of the most scholarly and 
cultured men of his time. The books in his library had been 
collected, with rare discrimination, from the publications of 
England, France, Switzerland, Germany, and America. In 
this library there were ten thousand volumes. The walls of the 
Vaughan mansion were literally lined with books. Moreover, 
Dr. Vaughan was not only an ardent lover but a generous 



230 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

lender of good literature. His bookshelves, which were 
especially rich in classic and scientific works, were always open 
for reference to the student; and thus the whole community 
was enriched by the wealth of the Vaughan library. 

But it was not only the mature student, and the men and 
women of the town, that were welcome to the use of these 
interesting and valuable books. The children of Old Hal- 
lowell were equally indebted to the Vaughan library, one 
department of Avhich was filled with the best books for young 
people that could be procured at this time. Every Saturday 
afternoon, this library was opened, and the books were freely 
loaned to the boys and girls who came for them. The value of 
these books to the children of Hallowell cannot be overesti- 
mated. Of this home library, and of the gracious hostess who 
here dispensed the best gifts of classic and story-book lore to 
the favored children of this olden time, Mr. John S. C. Abbott 
writes as follows: 

"Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Vaughan, whose names I can 
never speak but with the most profound emotions of reverence 
and affection, opened their spacious library every week to the 
children of the village. It contained, among its other literary 
treasures, as choice a collection of juvenile books as money 
could then afford. Every Saturday afternoon the children 
were accustomed to cluster on the piazza of the spacious 
mansion to exchange these well-read volumes. One good 
mother in Hallowell, whose five sons imbibed from this 
library such tastes that they all passed through Bowdoin Col- 
lege and Andover Theological Seminary, said to one of them : 
'You children will never be able to appreciate the debt of 
gratitude you owe to the Vaughan family. ' 

"Mrs. Vaughan," adds Mr. Abbott, "was a very lovely 
woman full of vivacity and activity, with a face beaming with 
intelligence. I can now see her questioning the children as to 
what they had read, and, with her slight and fragile form, nimbly 
ascending the library steps and selecting such a book as she 
thought best adapted to the capacity of the child. Sixty years 
of this stormy life have passed away, and I can yet recall 
the intensity of pleasurable emotion with which those precious 



The Otis Library 23 1 

volumes were read during the long evenings of a Maine winter. 
The influence of this library upon that little community was 
very remarkable; so much so that in the social gatherings 
of the children which were frequent, and which always broke up 
when the nine o'clock bell rang, one of their principal joys was 
to entertain each other with the recital of original stories, made 
up extempore w'^'^xi the occasion." 

Another very remarkable private library in Hallowell was 
that of the Hon. John Otis. Throughout his life, Mr. Otis 
was a student and lover of good hterature. He was a collector of 
rare and valuable old books, and his library contained hundreds of 
volumes of interest to the antiquarian student. Some of these 
books, that probably could not have been obtained elsewhere in 
this country, were purchased at the sale of the library of Mr. 
Samuel Vaughan of London. There were, in Mr. Otis' collection, 
about a thousand books and pamphlets published prior to 1800. 
These were works on history, travel, biography, science, politics, 
philosophy, poetry and belles-lettres. Upon his book shelves 
were the old Greek and Latin authors, in the original, and in 
modern translations. There were also translations from the 
Persian, Arabic, German, French, and Italian. The works of 
the English historians and poets were represented in fine 
editions. There were essays and sermons innumerable, and 
tracts upon all subjects from the "Antiquity of Scandal and 
Birthday of Folly," to the most abstruse treatises on theologi- 
cal and political polemics, and "Plain Truths and Remarks on 
Common Sense." To emphasize the importance of the state- 
ment in regard to the rareness and value of these old volumes, 
the titles and date of publication of some of them are here given. 

The oldest book in the library bore the date of 1492. This 
book was the Herodias Epistolae, by the Latin poet Publius 
Ovidius Naso, whom we commonly called Ovid. A worthy 
and venerable companion to this ancient volume was a book by 
Diogenes Laertius, entitled The Lives of the Philosophers. 
This was a beautiful well-preserved folio, printed on vellum, in 
1493. These two books alone would give distinction to any 
library, public or private, in our country. 



232 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

The century from 1500 to 1600 was represented by twelve 
valuable volumes; the century from 1600 to 1700 by one 
hundred and ten volumes ; the century from 1700 to 1800, by 
six hundred and seventy-five volumes. The library therefore 
contained over eight hundred books besides numerous pam- 
phlets, published prior to 1800. 

Notable among the books printed between 1500 and 1600 
were: 

Quintiliani. De InstitiUione. 1514. 

Ovidii Epistole, cum Comment, Calderini et Badio. Black 
Letter. Curious Wood cuts. Folio Calf. Lugduni. 1523. 
(This is a very rare volume.) 

Homeri I lias et Ulyssea cum Interpretatione . Folio . 1 5 3 5 • 
(A very fine rare copy.) 

Sententae Veterum. Poetarum per Georgium Maiorum. 

1551- 

P. Ovidii Nasonis. Metamorphoses. (In Latin.) 1568. 

Ptolomaei Geographiae, per C. Mercator. 1584. (Fine 
ancient maps. Very rare.) 

The Mirroiir of Policie. A Work no less profitable than 
necessarie, for all Magistrates and Governors of Estates and 
Commonweales. 1590. (Rare.) 

The Historie of the Warres of Italic and Other Partes. 
Translated by Geffray Fenton. By F. Guicciardini. 1599. 

Among the books printed between 1600 and 1700, the 
oldest was A Generall Historie of the Netherlands, with Genea- 
logic and Memorable Acts of the Earls of Holland, Zeeland and 
West Friesland. This was a magnificently illustrated Folio, 
issued in 1608. Other books of this century were: Montaigne's 
Essays, "done into English" by John Florio, London, 161 3; 
Histoire des Martyrs, Geneva, 16 19; Purchase. His Pilgrimes 
contayning a History of the World in Sea Voyages and Land 
Travells by Etiglishmen and Others; (a very rare work in four 
volumes published in 1625-6); The Pai^iting of the Ancients, by 
Franciscus, Jr., London, 1633; Military Essayes of the Ancient 
Grecian, Roman, and Modern Art of War, by Sir James 
Turner, London, 1633; and I'he Historic of the World hy 
C. Pliny, Translated by Philemon Holland, 1634. 



The Otis Library 233 

One very rare and curious work was that by Sir John 
Finette, (Master of Ceremonies), entitled Some Choice Observa- 
tions touching the Reception and Precedence, the Treatment and 
Audience, the Ptmctillios and Contests of Foreign Ambassadors 
in England, 1656. 

Two valuable and interesting histories were the Chronicles 
of the Kings of Englatid, by Sir Richard Baker, 1674; and a 
very rare work, entitled The Accotmt of the Pretended Prince of 
Wales and other Grievances that occasioned the Invitation of 
the Prince of Orange, with other papers relating to the Revolu- 
tion, 1688. Another highly prized book was Meditationes de 
Prima de Philosophia, by Descartes, Elzivir, Amsterdam, 1678. 

These are but a few of a collection of over one hundred 
books printed in the seventeenth century. Among the books 
of the eighteenth century it is more difficult to make a repre- 
sentative selection. This collection included many fine and 
richly illustrated volumes on history, travel, poetry, and philos- 
ophy. Some of the oldest were Malab ranch's Search After 
Truth, 1700; Dryden's Poems and Translations, 1701; The 
Glory of Queen Anne, 1703. There was also the Peerage of 
England, in eight volumes, by Arthur Collins, 1779; and that 
very rare and interesting folio, A Display of Heraldrie, by John 
Guyllym, probably the edition of 1724. Two other books that 
appeal very strongly to us at the present day, were The Generall 
Historic of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles, by 
Capt. John Smith, 1629, (a reprint); and a rare edition of 
Robert Beverely's History of Virginia in Four Parts, printed 
in 1705. Other miscellaneous but interesting books were the 
i3xao\\'s, Junius Letters, 1772; The Freethinker; Essays in Wit 
and Humor, 1740; E. Burke on the Sublime and Beautiful, 1757; 
Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs and Heroic Ballads, 1776; 
The Acts and Deeds of the Most Famous Valliant Champion, 
Sir William Wallace, written by blind Harry, a Scottish 
minstrel who died about 1492; and a quaint copy of Luther's 
German Bible. The English poets were represented in hand- 
some editions, and the books of the nineteenth century were 
too numerous to mention. 

I well remembei this library and the impression which this 



234 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

seemingly vast collection of books always produced upon my 
childish mind. Many of the books were kept in alcoves in the 
hall where the book shelves were built into the wall. No 
marvel of modern architecture which it has since been my lot to 
behold, has ever inspired such a sense of rapturous awe as I 
always felt on entering this fine old hall with its glass-covered 
book-cases, its arched doorways, and its wonderful winding 
stairway which seemed to swing itself upward by some marvel- 
ous but invisible means to enchanted regions above. 

Mr. Otis died in 1856; and after his death this valuable 
library was preserved intact, at the Grant mansion, until the 
year 1878. It was then sold at auction in Boston and nearly all 
of its rare folios, books, pamphlets, etc., were scattered among 
libraries and book-collectors that were only too eager to secure 
them. The handsomely illustrated Historie of the Netherlajids 
is now in the Boston Art Museum where it is frequently con- 
sulted by the students of art and history. Happily a few of the 
most valuable volumes are still in the possession of the Otis 
family. One of these, printed in 1747, is entitled The Heads 
of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain; and as we turn the 
leaves of this beautiful folio, enriched with full page engravings 
by Houbraken and Vertue, we realize as never before the loss 
of the hundreds of rare volumes which might, perhaps, have 
been preserved for the old town of Hallowell. The books were 
offered for sale, but the opportunity passed unheeded. This is 
one of those oversights which seem unaccountable in the 
retrospect; but no one among us apparently realized what a 
treasure was passing from our grasp, or that the opportunity of 
acquiring such a collection of rare old books would never cortie 
to us again. It is with infinite and unassuaged regret that 
we now think of the loss of these ancient volumes that would 
have been of inestimable value to the Hubbard Free Library, 
and a fitting monument of the time when Hallowell rightfully 
bore the honor of being "the most intellectual and literary 
town in Maine." 

In those earlier days several of the literary societies of Hal- 
lowell also possessed collections of books. The Kennebec 



The Goodale Library 235 

Library Society and the Young Men's Society, which was 
a literary and debating club, are still represented by a number 
of volumes now preserved upon the shelves of the Hubbard 
Free Library. 

The Franklin Debating Society also had a small but 
well-selected library. This society was composed of representa- 
tive young men of Hallowell who took themselves and their 
talents more seriously than do many young men of the present 
time, and who endeavored to make the most of such gifts as 
they possessed. The members of the society met in the upper 
room of the Old South school-house. They wrote essays, 
declaimed the speeches of great statesmen, and debated ques- 
tions of civic, national, historic, and theological importance. A 
record of the meetings, in the handwriting of one of its principal 
members, Henry Knox Baker, is preserved in the Hubbard 
Free Library, with a number of books bearing the label of the 
Franklin Debating Society. 

In addition to these libraries, large and small, there was also 
in Hallowell, in the olden days, a very excellent circulating 
library, founded by Ezekiel Goodale, printer and bookseller. 
"Uncle Zekiel," as this early benefactor of the town was 
called, saw the necessity of a good library easily accessible to 
the general public, and, with a commendable spirit, immediately 
founded one. As his business placed him in touch with 
the English market, Mr. Goodale imported many of the new 
and standard books as soon as they were issued by the English 
publishing houses. From small beginnings, the Hallowell Cir- 
culating Library grew to a large and valuable collection. Upon 
its shelves were found the Spectator, the Rambler, Shakespeare, 
Milt07i, the novels of Fielding and Smollet, and Richardson's 
Pamela. To these, were soon added the works of Scott, 
Byron, Moore, Campbell, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Lamb, 
Shelley, and of many other authors then new to the reading 
world. All these were placed by a book-loving dealer in the 
hands of an intelligent circle of readers. In 1820, according to 
the attractive catalogue still extant, this old library offered to 
its patrons "novels, romances, plays, biography, history, 
voyages, travels, poems, miscellaneous reviews, and periodi- 



236 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

cals;" and among the latter, were the London Monthly Maga- 
zine, the Atheneum, the Edinburgh Review, Quarterly 
Review, and the American Review of History and Politics. It 
was said of Ezekiel Goodale, the founder of this library, that he 
was not a literary man himself but was **the cause of literature 
in others." 

The Hallowell Social Library, which still exists under 
the name of the Hubbard Free Library, was established in 1842. 
Among its most prominent founders were Dr. Amos Nourse, 
Rev. Jonathan Cole, and Mr. Thomas B. Brooks. This library 
consisted in the beginning of five hundred and twenty-nine 
well-selected volumes purchased by the shareholders. These 
books were, for twelve years, hospitably housed, free of rent, 
in a large room on the second floor of the store of Mr. Brooks, 
on the corner of Winthrop and Water Streets. The early 
patrons of this library will recall its entrance which had an iron 
door opening upon a Venetian-like balcony, from which an airy 
flight of stairs descended to the street below. 

The first officers of the Hallowell Social Library Associa- 
tion were: Andrew Masters, /;r.yz^i?«^; Jonathan Cole, Samuel 
Wells, Thomas B. Brooks, Franklin Scammon, Justin E. 
Smith, directors; Edward K. Butler, treasurer; Henry K. 
Baker, secretary and librarian. The services of those who 
successively held the office of librarian were gratuitously given; 
and grateful acknowledgments are due from the residents of 
Hallowell to the men and women who so generously gave 
their time, thought, and disinterested efforts to this beneficent 
work. The list of librarians of the Hallowell Social Library is 
on record as follows: Hon. H. K. Baker, Mr. T. B. Brooks, 
Mr. J. C. Dwight, E. K. Butler, Esq., Mr. T. W. Newman, 
Miss Lucy M. Emmons, Dr. M. C. Richardson, Dr. J. DeWolfe 
Smith, Miss Annie F. Page, and Miss Sophie B. Oilman and 
Miss Abbie Eveleth, assistant librarians. 

In 1858, the library received the donation of a collection of 
rare and valuable books from the library of Mr. John Merrick, 
and another accession to its shelves from the library of Mr. 
George Merrick. 

In 1 861, a store and lot on Water Street valued at $1600, 



The Hallowell Social Library 237 

was presented to the library by Mr. Charles Vaughan of 
Cambridge. This gift was accompanied by a cordial letter, 
closing as follows : 

" If you should accept the enclosed deed, I shall be happy to think 
I have done something for the benefit of an institution calculated, if 
properly managed, to do much good, and be an honor to my native 
place, -which still has my best affections. 
I am 

Your obt. servant, 

CHAS. VAUGHAN." 



The hopes and expectations of Mr. Charles Vaughan, 
whose gift first placed the library upon a practical financial 
basis, were abundantly realized. It soon became necessary to 
have a permanent and suitable building for the library; and the 
first effectual movement to this end is due to the women of 
Hallowell who, in the summer of 1868, met at the home of Mrs. 
Simon Page, and appointed two secretaries. Miss Emma G. 
Hubbard and Miss Annie F. Page, to solicit funds for the pur- 
chase of a lot, and for the subsequent erection of an ideal 
library building. In 1878, the "Library Building Association" 
was formed. Its officers were: Mrs. J. De Wolfe Smith, 
president; Miss Mary E. Moody, treasurer; Miss Annie F. 
Page, secretary; Mrs. H. F. Harding, Miss Emma G. Hubbard, 
Miss Harriet Morgridge, Miss Sophie B. Gilman, Miss Lucy 
M, Emmons, executive committee. 

Through the efforts of these public-spirited women of 
Hallowell the enterprise, so courageously undertaken, was 
carried out to complete success. In 1880, a beautiful stone 
building, the cumulative gift of the sons and daughters of Old 
Hallowell to the mother town, was erected on Second Street. 
The granite of which this edifice was constructed was quarried 
from the Hallowell hills, and was the gift of Governor J. R. 
Bodwell, the large-hearted, widely-beloved president of the 
Hallowell Granite Company. The iron cresting was generously 
donated by the Fuller Brothers of Hallowell. The architectural 
plan for the library was designed and presented to the commit- 
tee by Mr. A. C. Currier, as a tribute to his native town; and 



238 Old Hallozvell on the Kennebec 

the funds for the erection of the building were contributed by 
the residents and former residents of Hallowell. When all 
completed, the beautiful Gothic edifice stood, like a temple of 
old, lifting its portals to the east; and the ladies of the Library 
Building Association had the supreme pleasure of committing 
its keys to the officers of the Hallowell Social Library. 

On the 9th of March, 1880, this library was publicly ded- 
icated to the great and noble purpose for which it was designed. 
On this occasion an oration was delivered by the Rev. Henry 
V. Emmons, and an original poem was read by Mrs. Emma 
Huntington Nason. All of the other parts of the programme 
were likewise contributed by loyal sons and daughters of 
Hallowell, in harmony with the general plan of the building and 
presentation committee. 

Thus this library, in the words of the Rev. Henry V. 
Emmons, the orator of the day, was "dedicated to the honor of 
the living and the memory of the dead, among its donors and 
promoters ; to the perpetuation of the memory of our fathers ; 
to the adding of comfort and culture to our homes; to the 
unfolding of the minds and the refinement of the tastes of our 
children; to the elevation of our aims and our manners; to the 
advancement of learning and liberality and loyalty; to the 
common welfare among our citizens; to the spread of truth and 
the correction of error; to the inculcation of candor, fidelity, 
proberty, and veracity, and the promotion of liberty, patriotism, 
and piety." Well has this library fulfilled its mission; and that 
it has done so, has been, in a great measure due to the fidelity, 
enthusiasm, and literary discrimination of its librarians. Miss 
Annie F. Page and Miss Sophie B. Oilman, who for more than 
a quarter of a century, with a devotion akin to that of priest- 
esses at a shrine, have stood at this altar of learning, and 
guided both young and old into its inner sanctuary. 

In 1893, the library was enlarged through the liberal 
endowment of $20,000, from General Thomas H. Hubbard, an 
honored son of Hallowell; and the free library and reading 
room was thus established. The building was re-dedicated on 
March 15, 1894. At this time an able and eloquent address, on 
"The Place and Work of the Public Library," was delivered by 




Generai. Thomas H. Hubbard 



The Hicbbard Free Library 239 

Professor Charles F. Richardson, who paid, during his discourse, 
a loyal tribute to the treasure-store of books with which he was 
familiar in his boyhood. A beautiful and suggestive poem, 
written by a gifted daughter of Hallowell, Mrs. Martha Baker 
Dunn, was read by Mr. Walter F. Marston. One stanza of this 
poem might well be engraved upon the portals of this library: 

" Then enter here with reverent tread, 
Here bare the brow, uplift the eye, 
Do homage to the deathless dead, — 
Within these walls they never die." 

To the donor of this munificent gift to the library, to him 
who thus made the desires of the people a reality in enduring 
stone, words of acknowledgment must ever be inadequate; but 
as a perpetual expression of the gratitude of the citizens of 
Hallowell for this benefaction to themselves, their children, and 
their children's children, and in memory of the Hubbard family, 
this library was named, in 1894, the Hubbard Free Library. 

In 1897, the library received an endowment of $10,000, 
which was expended in adding a west wing to the building. 
This liberal benefaction was the gift of Mrs. Eliza Clark Lowell, 
a direct descendant of Deacon Pease Clark, the first settler of 
Hallowell. 

When the west wing, now designated as the "Lowell 
Museum," was completed in 1898, and the building was opened, 
for the third time, to the public, with dedicatory exercises. 
Mrs. Lowell, at the age of ninety-four years, had the pleasure of 
being present to receive the grateful acknowledgments of the 
friends and patrons of the library. The address for this occa- 
sion on "Libraries and Their Uses," was written by the vener- 
able Judge Henry K. Baker. The poem, by Miss Ellen Hamlin 
Butler, entitled ''The Creating of the Book,'' presented a beau- 
tiful conception of the development of the mental growth of the 
human race, from which one learned how humanity was first 
taught to live, then to sing, and then to ivrite, and at last to 
read. The poem closed with the following invocation to the 
"fortunate children of these last days:" 



240 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

" Oh friends, 
This is a story that never ends 
The story ! Ah no, face to face are we 
With quickening immortality. 
These arches for our communion keep 
The heart of Dante, passionate deep. 
The voice of Taliesin breaking its bars. 
The speech of Homer like marching stars, 
The mind of Plato married to truth. 
The soul of Christ in its matchless youth ! 
And if ye will muse a little space 
In the holy silence that fills this place, 
Ye shall lift your eyes, and — every one — 
Behold the message spelled by the sun, 
The spirit's message told, yet once more, 
In the fair rose-window over the door : 
He knows the secret of time, indeed. 
Who seeking the light, comes hither to read." 

And so the history of this library is not like "a tale that is told," 
but rather like an accumulative story filled with pleasant hap- 
penings, and records of constant benefactions from its friends. 
The library has been frequently remembered with gifts of books, 
pictures, portraits, busts, valuable curios, and donations of 
money for special purposes. In 1887, the library received, by 
the will of Mrs. Almira C. Dummer, a bequest of $500, together 
with a large number of books. Among these timely gifts, there 
also came, one day, a check for $800, from a "Stranger." The 
donor long remained unknown, but it was at last ascertained 
that this beneficent "Stranger" was Mr. Henry Sampson of 
New York. Several very interesting and valuable contributions 
to the collection of antique curiosities and works of art in the 
"Lowell Museum" have been donated by Mr. Everett T. 
Getchell. 

In 1898, the children of Judge Henry K. Baker gave to 
the library a valuable collection of one hundred volumes; and, 
at the same time, presented a marble bust of their father, 
in whose memory the books were given. This life-like bust of 
Judge Baker is the work of the Sculptor Mahoney. A portrait 
of Judge Baker, painted by Scott Clifton Carbee, hangs above 
the case of books. These gifts form a fitting memorial of one 



The Hubbard Free Library 241 

who throughout his long Hfe was devotedly interested in the 
work of the library. 

A marble bust of Judge Gilman and fine portraits of Mr. 
John Merrick, Mr. Thomas B. Merrick, Mr. Charles Vaughan, 
Dr. M. C. Richardson, and General Thomas H. Hubbard hold 
places of honor in the library. 

And thus to-day, the Hubbard Free Library, hewn from 
the heart of our own hills, stands thrice consecrated. Its un- 
seen, yet all-pervasive forces have permeated the homes, 
refined and elevated the minds, enlarged the mental and 
spiritual vision, and strengthened and ennobled the character 
of all who have gone in and out beneath its portals. Of 
the hallowed mission of the books upon its shelves no one can 
adequately speak; for — 

"Subtle, such influence, and vast! 

And he who tells its power for good 
Must take his data from the past, 

And reckon to infinitude." 

"These volumes," said Professor Richardson, at the close 
of his dedicatory address, "will outlast us, yet they too will 
sometime perish. Some part of their contents, however, it is 
sober truth to say, may be made to pass beyond the visible 
world when turned into the mental and spiritual life of the 
individual, which we believe to be in its nature indestructible. 
Of the beautiful building and the excellent library thus 
influencing imperishable souls, we may say, in Oliver Wendell 
Holmes' stately lines: 

'Emblem and legend may fade from the portal, 

Keystone may crumble and pillar may fall, 

They were the builders whose work is immortal. 

Crowned with the dome that is over us all.' " 



XV 

OLD BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS 

"There was inbred among us a love of good letters." 

— Rev. Henry V. Emmons. 

^^T'HE literary life of Hallowell began simultaneously with 
/ '1 its material existence. If there was ever "a social struc- 
^^^ ture founded on a book," it was surely in this old town. 
It has been truly said that the Hallowell people were a 
reading people. There were, however, among them, not only 
many readers of books but makers of books. Printers and pub- 
lishers abounded among our early settlers; and a surprisingly 
large number of books, pamphlets, and newspapers were issued 
from the press of old Hallowell. Over one hundred of these 
ancient Hallowell imprints have been collected and placed in 
the Hubbard Free Library. The oldest of these is an address 
delivered at the dedication of the Hallowell Academy in 1795. 

The first book published in Hallowell was a work of 
fiction, issued by Howard L. Robinson in 1797, and entitled 
Female Friendship, or the Innocent Sufferer: A Moral Novel. 
This curious old-fashioned story opens with a retrospective 
chapter which contains tragedy enough for a whole novel, and, 
in the tale that follows, the misery is so generally diffused 
that it is difficult to decide whether "dearest Emily," or some 
other one of the intensely sympathetic characters, is the 
"innocent sufferer." This book was published anonymously, 
and the name of the author is unfortunately lost to fame. 

In the year 1800, a notable book, entitled the Rural 
Socrates was given to the public, by Dr. Benjamin Vaughan. 
This volume contains an account of "a celebrated philosophical 
farmer, named Kilyogg, lately living in Switzerland." The 
book was printed by Peter Edes, and "sold by the booksellers 
of the principal towns of the United States." 

One of the earliest printers and publishers in the town 



Old Books and Nezvspapers 243 

was Ezekiel Gooclale; and to him is ascribed the honor of 
establishing the first permanent pubhshing house in Hallowell. 
He was the first of a somewhat remarkable succession of 
men — a sort of dynasty of printers and publishers — who per- 
petuated the business, with the occasional substitution of a 
new name in the firm, for over sixty years. 

Ezekiel Goodale came to Hallowell in 1802. He first 
opened a little shop in the front rooni of Moses Sewall's 
house where he sold spelling-books and a few copies of the 
Nezv Engla7id Primer. He prospered in business and, in 181 3, 
opened a printing establishment, at the "Sign of the Bible," 
near the foot of Academy Street. In 1806, Mr. Goodale pub- 
lished an interesting book entitled The History of the Bible and 
the Jeivs. 

This book was originally written in Dutch, from which 
language it was translated into English. A copy of the work 
was brought to Hallowell by Deacon Gow from Scotland, and 
was reprinted by Ezekiel Goodale, at the "Sign of the Bible." 
When the volume appeared in print, Crom Aldrich, one of the 
local poets, composed this couplet: 

"The History of the Bible and the Jews 
Is the beautifullest book I ever did peruse." 

The book is certainly a work that demands some superla- 
tive adjectives. It consists of a series of dialogues, first 
between the "Pilgrim" and Adam; then between the "Pilgrim" 
and Noah; and afterwards, between the "Pilgrim" and the 
Apostle John, and the "Pilgrim" and Melanchthon. In these 
dialogues we are permitted to look upon the history of the 
world through the eyes of the Patriarchs; and also to discuss, 
with the "Pilgrim" and the Apostle John, the direct dealings 
of God with man, and the more abstruse philosophy of the uni- 
verse. The conversations with Adam savor somewhat of the 
senile garrulity that might be expected of an old man nine 
hundred and thirty years of dge; but who, as the "Pilgrim" 
suggests, "having conversed both with God and man, must 
have acquired a large stock of knowledge and experience." 
His sufferings after leaving Paradise are pathetically related. 



244 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

"What troubled me extremely," said Adam, "was that my wife, 
who had ever conducted herself with great meekness and 
affection, began to be somewhat froward and contradictory, 
which gave rise to many discords. Oh, son, — a most distress- 
ing subject it is to me to talk of!" 

New editions of other religious works followed: Pilgrim* s 
Progress in 1814, ^ History of Persecution, 1819; Taylor s 
Holy Living, 1820: and Paleys Evidences, in 1826. In the 
meantime Murray's Grammar, 181 2, Goldsmith! s England, 
1814, Arnaud's French Verbs, 1823, Kinnes Practical Arith- 
metic, 1820, and the New Pleasing Spelling Book, 181 8, show 
that the educational interests of the young people were not 
neglected in the first two decades of the nineteenth century. 
The New Pleasing Spelling Book is indeed most pleasingly 
arranged. The pages containing the spelling lessons are 
printed in double columns, and interspersed with stories and 
lively dialogues in which the long hard words all reappear in 
most delightful combinations. What child could resist them! 
Moral Amusement was also published by Ezekiel Goodale. 
This was "A selection from the most approved authors for 
the instruction and mental improvement of young ladies and 
gentlemen." 

Nor did "Uncle Zekiel" forget the children of Hallowell. 
In 181 3, he published the Affecting History of the Children in 
the Wood, with pathetic illustrations. Happily, however, these 
children did not perish at the last, like those whom the robins 
buried in the leaves, but were rescued by a good, kind woman, 
with whom they lived in "uninterrupted peace" at "Happy 
Dell," for the remainder of their lives. This remarkable story 
is interspersed with many moral reflections and "pretty 
hymns," which "the Babes" learned and often repeated, and 
which all good children would do well to commit to memory. 

The cover of this old book bears the following inscription 
written in a bold clear hand : 

Pattey Smiths hur Book of Epping. 

We cannot help feeling sorry for Pattey, as we think of the 
tears she must have shed over this tragic tale, which, as the 



Old Books and Newspapers 245 

author avows, is "unsparingly related in every particular." 
Our sympathies also go out to that other little girl who was 
the possessor of one of Cotton Mather's doleful books, on the 
fly-leaf of which she wrote this touching inscription : 

"Sarah Harriss hur book 
god give her Grace therein to Look 
& when the Bells for hur Do tole 
the Lord of heaven Recijue her Sole 
the Roses red the grass is Green 
the Days is past which I have seen." 

Another remarkable book for children was The Sister s 
Gift: The Naughty Boy Reformed, "published for the Advan- 
tage of the Rising Generation," 1809. The two prominent 
characters in this story are Miss Kitty, aged twelve, and Master 
Billy, aged eight. Master Billy is a bad boy, a very bad boy 
indeed. He ties a tin can to the dog's tail; he throws his 
sister's pet kitten out of the window; and does other wicked 
and equally unheard-of deeds, all vividly depicted in the illus- 
trations which it would seem might be quite suggestive to 
other bad boys, if there were any at this period. Mistress 
Kitty labors with her wayward brother, as a virtuous elder 
sister should ; and we are delighted to know, at the close of the 
story, that "Master Billy wept bitterly, and declared to his 
sister that she had painted the enormity of his vices in such 
striking colors that they shocked him in the greatest degree, 
and promised ever after to be as remarkable for generosity, 
compassion, and every other virtue, as he had hitherto been 
for cruelty, forwardness, and ill-nature." On the last page of 
the book we read that "the piety of a child is sweeter than the 
incense of Persia, offered to the sun; yea, more delicious than 
odors, wafted from a field of Arabian spices by the western 
gales." 

One book of American verse appears among the early pub- 
lications of Goodale. It was McFingal: A modern Epic, 
written by John Trumbull, Esq., and inspired by the events of 
the Revolution. There are other imprints from the press of 
"Uncle Zekiel," wherein to look would certainly require grace; 
but one publication, for which his name should be most grate- 



246 Old Hallowell oti the Kennebec 

fully perpetuated, is the Maine Farmei-'s Almanac. This 
famous old annual, which had a place next to the Bible in many 
of the homes of Maine, was issued for sixty years in Hallowell. 
In 1880, the Farmer s Almanac was purchased by Charles E. 
Nash, and has since been printed in Augusta. 

"Uncle Zekiel," however, did not confine his literary out- 
put to his own publications, but imported from England the 
best books of the time, for sale at his store, and for his 
circulating library. Thus it happened that on one never-to-be- 
forgotten day, a big new pasteboard placard was hung out at 
the "Sign of the Bible" which bore in large letters this inscrip- 
tion: "Guy Mannering: A New Novel by the Author of 
Waverley." Can we imagine the days when this book was 
absolutely new, or the sensation it must have made in the 
literary circles of this old town? 

On another eventful day, the front of the store was 
covered with placards bearing this announcement: "Childe 
Harold: A Poem by Lord Byron." In 181 1, the Musical 
Repertory was announced. This was a collection of ancient and 
modern songs, beginning with "Ye Mariners of England," and 
including ballads and verses, by Tom Moore, Allan Ramsay, 
Robert Burns, and other lyric poets. In 1819, Mr. Goodale 
opened the old corner bookstore, at Number One, Kennebec 
Row. 

Ezekiel Goodale, the founder of the publishing business in 
Hallowell, was born in West Boylston, Massachusetts, in 1780. 
He married Betsey Stone, and removed to Hallowell in 1802. 
He lived at first in an unpretentious house on Water Street, 
but later built the typical old-time mansion on Chestnut Street, 
afterwards the residence of Mr. Thomas Leigh, and now occupied 
by Mr. Ben Tenney. In 1820, Mr. Franklin Glazier entered 
into business with Mr. Goodale. Three years later Andrew 
Masters and Justin E. Smith were taken into the firm. In 
1857, Mr, Glazier retired, and Colonel Danforth P. Livermore 
became a partner. The firm was continued under the name of 
Masters and Livermore until i 880. 

Each of the men in this long succession of publishers was 
a prominent and eminently worthy citizen of Hallowell. 



Old Baoks and Newspapers 247 

Franklin Glazier, born in Oakham, Massachusetts, was the son 
of John Glazier, and grandson of Jonathan Glazier who served 
in the w^ar of the Revolution. The mother of Franklin Glazier 
was Dorothy Goodale, sister of Ezekiel Goodale, and a de- 
scendant of John Goodale who settled in Salem in 1634. 
Franklin Glazier married, December 18, 1823, Julia Tarbox of 
Gardiner. Their children were Franklin, who married Emma 
Swan; William Belcher; John; Julia Mary, afterwards Mrs. 
John Russell; Louise Tarbox; and Eleanor Lucy, who married 
the Rev. H. R. Howard, and now resides in Manheim, Pennsyl- 
vania. The Glazier family lived in a spacious, square, old house 
built by Thomas Bond on Warren Street. The house was 
surrounded by extensive grounds shaded by fine trees. A 
large willow-tree, on the corner of the front lawn, furnished all 
the children in the neighborhood with wood for willow whistles; 
and the whole place had an air of open hospitality which was 
always very inviting. Franklin Glazier was highly esteemed as 
a business man and citizen and, with his interesting family, 
occupied a prominent social position in Hallowell. He died 
June 9th, 1863. 

Justin Ely Smith was the son of Stevens Smith of Hal- 
lowell. He was born June 18, 1807, and married, November 13, 
1833, Cornelia Wetmore, of Whitesboro, New York. Their chil- 
dren, now living, are Caroline, who married William Sprague; 
Amos Robinson, who married Carrie E. Freeman, daughter of 
John and Caroline Page Freeman; and Alice Wetmore, who 
married Frederick B. Smith; all of whom now reside in Chicago. 

Justin E. Smith entered the bookstore of Goodale and 
Glazier as a clerk at the age of thirteen. At twenty-one, he 
became a member of the firm. He was recognized as one of 
the ablest business men of Hallowell, and as an accountant and 
mathematician, he was unequaled by any of his fellow towns- 
men. He was for many years cashier of the Northern National 
Bank, and afterwards president of the Hallowell Savings Insti- 
tution. As a citizen he was highly esteemed for his integrity, 
benevolence, and public spirit. 

Colonel Andrew Masters was born in Exeter, New 
Hampshire, in 1794. At the age of thirteen, he entered a 



248 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

printing office and served a faithful apprenticeship of seven 
years. Having thus laid the foundation for his subsequent 
successful career, Colonel Masters came to Hallowell in 181 5, 
and a few years later, entered the firm of Goodale and Glazier. 
For sixty years. Colonel Masters was active in all the details of 
the business as well as in the general oversight of the publish- 
ing departments; and to his fostering care the maintenance and 
success of the famous old Hallowell bookstore and publishing 
house is greatly due. At the time of his death in 1881, he was 
the oldest printer and publisher in the State of Maine. 

In private life, Colonel Masters was greatly beloved and 
respected. He had all the qualities of a noble manhood. He 
was a faithful friend, a cordial, hospitable neighbor, a generous, 
public-spirited citizen. He married October 14, 181 5, Sarah P. 
Livermore, daughter of William Li verm ore. His grandson, 
Mr. Alonzo Melvin, has written some interesting sketches of 
early life in Hallowell. 

Colonel Danforth P. Livermore, was not only an active 
member of the publishing house of Masters and Livermore, but 
was also one of the pioneer experts in telegraphy. At the age 
of eighty-one he was the oldest living telegrapher in active service 
in the world. He had been manager of the Hallowell Tele- 
graph Office since 1850, and had trained and sent into service 
more than forty skillful operators. When Colonel Livermore 
first entered the Hallowell office, there was but one Maine line 
stretching from Portland to Calais with a branch from Augusta 
to Bath, and the average number of messages was two a day. 
The veteran telegrapher of Maine, therefore, saw during his 
lifetime a marvelous progress in the science of telegraphy. 
Two of his children were also expert telegraphers. His son, 
Mr. Charles D. Livermore, was manager of the Western Union 
office in Portland for many years ; and his accomplished daugh- 
ter, Miss Emma Livermore, was the first lady operator in the 
world to send a telegram. 

Miss Emma Livermore was also distinguished for her 
musical ability. She was an exceptionally fine pianist and 
accompanist, and possessed by nature such an acute and sensi- 
tive musical organization that even reading music gave her the 



Old Books and Netvspapers 249 

most exquisite pleasure. The death of Emma Livermore was 
the occasion of profound sorrow to a large circle of friends. 
Miss Sarah Livermore, the second daughter, married Captain 
Charles E. Nash who rendered honorable service to his country 
during the Civil War, and afterwards became well known as a 
publisher and local historian. 

Colonel and Mrs. Danforth P. Livermore lived to celebrate 
the sixtieth anniversary of their wedding day, which was 
fittingly commemorated by their children and friends. 

The publishing business, as conducted by these five men 
from 1 81 3 to 1880, was at times of extensive proportions, and 
was far-reaching in its influence. It has been stated that, at 
this period, "no place in Maine ranked with Hallowell as the 
center of book publishing, or in the spirit of its literary life." 
In addition to the imprints already mentioned, this house pub- 
lished the Maine Reports, the Revised Statutes, and many law 
books; also many school books, including arithmetics, geogra- 
phies, grammars, music books, spelling and reading books. 
They published Williamson's History of Maine, Eaton's 
An7ials of Wart'en, volumes of poems, hundreds of pamphlets, 
and a great variety of miscellaneous books. These Hallowell 
publishers enjoyed an enviable reputation throughout the State, 
and the "old corner bookstore," in Kennebec Row, had more 
than a local fame. 

So enterprising a town as Hallowell could not long remain 
without its weekly newspaper, and, on August 4, 1794, the 
Eastern Star arose above the horizon, and although its orbit 
was completed in one short year, it should be remembered as 
the first of a series of greater luminaries that have never since 
ceased to shed their light upon the region of the Kennebec. 

A copy of this ancient newspaper, dated June 9, 1795, lies 
before me. It bears this announcement: "Printed and pub- 
lished at the Hook, Hallowell, (Mass.) by Howard S. Robinson 
at nine shillings per annum, exclusive of postage, where useful 
Essays, articles of Intelligence etc. etc. are thankfully re- 
ceived." Ic is a small four-page paper with the name of "I. 
Nutter" written in indelible ink upon its yellow margin. The 



250 Old Hallozvell on the Kennebec 

Eastern Star rose and set with due regularity for about a year 
and then disappeared from the Hterary firmament of the Hook. 
Its motto, at least, is worthy of remembrance : 

"The Public Will, Our Guide— The Public Good, Our End." 



The Eastern Star was succeeded by the Tocsin which was 
edited and published by Wait and Baker. Copies of the Tocsin 
issued from April i6, 1796 to June 9, 1797, are now preserved in a 
bound volume, in the Hubbard Free Library at Hallowell. 
This volume of old newspapers is unique and valuable as a 
representative publication of its time. The Tocsin is also most 
interesting on account of its articles on foreign and home 
politics, and especially for the light it casts on the early history 
of Hallowell. Its columns disclose the growth and progress of 
the town, and perpetuate the names of the inhabitants who 
were prominently identified with its business interests at this 
early date. In an announcement appearing September 30, 
1796, the editor, "relying on the aid and support of a generous 
public," declares himself ready to use his utmost endeavors to 
give the paper permanent establishment and to render it 
"the repository of intelligence and useful information;" and 
the editor is convinced that if his paper has merits," it will rise 
in the estimation of the public, and have an extensive cir- 
culation — otherwise it will sink, where it ought, into oblivion." 

Far be it from us, the sons and daughters of Old Hallowell, 
ever to let the Tocsin sink into oblivion; and to help, in some 
slight degree, in sending its fame down to posterity, a few 
extracts from the columns of this characteristic old New 
England newspaper are here reprinted. 

As we turn the leaves of the Tocsin, we find the first 
three pages devoted to political editorials, foreign and domestic 
news, interspersed with advertisements and local notes. The 
fourth page, which was doubtless intended to appeal to "the 
literati of the Hook," has its poet's corner, its literary and 
scientific articles, its occasional short stories, and its interest- 
ing or amusing anecdotes. 

Under the head of "Late Foreign Intelligence," we find 



\ 



Old Books a?id Nezuspapers 



251 



the news from England, France, Holland, Spain, and Germany; 
and the exciting military operations going on in these countries 
are fully described. All the events thus commemorated have 
now passed into the pages of history, which we read to-day with 
a passive interest; but let us imagine, if we can, the excitement 
which these stirring reports produced when the news arrived at 
the little wide-awake town on the Kennebec. Let us fancy 
ourselves among the crowd of alert, intelligent, liberty-loving 
men who gather, perchance, at the stores of John Sheppard, 
Joshua Wingate, and Chandler Robbins, or at the post-office 
kept by Nathaniel Dummer, to discuss the latest news from 
Europe. On the 9th of September, they receive the foreign 
dispatches sent from Milan on the 19th of the previous May. 
Perhaps John Sheppard himself, or Preceptor Woodman of the 
Academy, reads the dramatic story aloud. Let us also listen: 

"On the 14th, General Massena entered Milan with a van- 
guard of about five thousand. The city sent the keys forward 
to meet this General as far as Lodi, by a deputation of the 
General Council and Archbishop. On his entrance, he struck 
the keys together as a token of joy. The next day. General 
Buonaparte made a brilliant entry. Arrived at the Roman gate 
the National Guards received him with presented arms, and the 
nobility and city officers paid him their compliments amidst the 
applause of a vast crowd of spectators. He was preceded by a 
large detachment of infantry, surrounded by a guard of huz- 
zars, and followed by carriages and the Milanese National 
guards. In this order he proceeded to his residence at the 
Archducal palace, where he dismounted. There was served at 
the palace a dinner of two hundred covers. The tree of liberty 
was planted in front of the palace amidst cries of Vive la 
liberie! Vive la rep7iblique! The day finished with a very 
elegant ball, at which a number of ladies appeared with ribbons 
of the French national colors." 

If our latter-day souls are not stirred by these words, let us 
listen to the proclamation of Buonaparte, from the headquarters 
in Milan, to his "Brethren in Arms:" 

"Soldiers: You are precipitated like a torrent from the 



252 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

heights of the Appennines; you have overthrown and dispersed 
all that opposed your march. Piedmont, rescued from Austrian 
tyranny, is left to its natural sentiments of regard and friend- 
ship to the French. Milan is yours, and the Republican 
standard is displayed throughout all Lombardy. The dukes of 
Parma and Modena are indebted for their political existence to 
your generosity. . . . The vaunted bulwarks of Italy were 
insignificant. You swept them with the same rapidity that you 
did the Appennines. 

"These successes have carried joy into the bosom of your 
country. Your representatives decreed a festival dedicated 
to your victories. . . . Now, your fathers, your mothers, 
your wives, your sisters, your sweethearts will rejoice in your 
success, and take pride in their relation to you. Yes, Soldiers, 
you have done much, but more remains for you to do. Shall it 
be said of us that we know how to conquer, but not to profit by 
our victories.? Shall posterity reproach us with having found a 
Capua at Lombardy.? But already I see you fly to arms, to 
reestablish the Capitol, to rouse the Roman people entranced 
with many ages of slavery, — this shall be the fruit of your vic- 
tories! You will again be restored to your firesides and homes, 
and your fellow citizens, pointing you out shall say: There 
goes one who belonged to the Army of Italy!" 
(Signed) 

BUONAPARTE." 

But affairs of national importance at home are not over- 
looked in the Tocsin. On October 7, 1796, appears the 
Message of President Washington apprising the people of the 
United States that he declines to be considered among the 
number from whom the choice of the next President must be 
made. This long state paper, in which the Father of his 
Country plainly stated his views on the home and foreign 
policies of the nation, took a powerful hold upon the heads and 
hearts of the people; and was evidently read and discussed by 
the patriots and statesmen of the Hook and Fort, with all the 
earnestness and personal interest felt by the men of that day 
in the public affairs of the nation. 



I 



Old Books and Neivspapers 253 

Local politics also have a prominent place in the columns 
of the Tocsin ; and candidates for the office of electors to make 
choice of the new President and Vice-President are discussed in 
letters addressed to the editor of the paper. These letters are 
signed, "A Plain Man," "A Yeoman," "A Civil Man," 
"A Veteran," "Clericus," "A Kindred Spirit," and "Thou- 
sands." They are written with a vigor and asperity quite 
comparable with similar communications to the press at the 
present day. 

In its graphic summary of the political situation at the 
close of the eighteenth century, the Tocsin offers the following 

"Observations on the Conduct of Different Governments:" 

France undertakes all. 

England endeavors to corrupt all. 

The King of Prussia deserts all. 

The Emperor takes part with all. 

Denmark bewares of all. 

Sweden will have nothing at all. 

Turkey wonders at all. 

The Pope is afraid of all. 

Spain is about to try all. 

Russia balances all. 

Holland pays all. 

America receives all. 

If God has not pity on all. 

The Devil will take all. 

To the lovers of poetry, the Tocsin proffers many lyric 
gems, among which are the "Seasons of Life," the "Lamenta- 
tion for Kosciusko," "Love and Philosophy," and an "Ode 
to Night," and, most remarkable of all, the following lines: 

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF THE AMIABLE MISS 

BETSEY WOOD. 

Th' Almighty spake! pale death appear'd, 

Shook his cold wings and sought his prey- 
When lo! from heaven a voice he hear'd, 
Go, fetch the lovely nymph away. 



254 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

Again the voice rehears'd the cry, 

"Laura's too pure to dwell in dust — 
"Quick, snatch her to her native sky, 

To join th' assembly of the just." 

Obedient then the monarch drew 

His fatal bow, with visage keen — 
When lo! the barbed arrow flew, 

And sudden pierced the beauteous queen. 

The fair one groan'd but to expire, 

In arms of mercy was forgiv'n — 
Then mounted on the Seraph's fire 
She sweetly languished into heaven. 
PALMYRA. 
Hallowell, May i6, 1796. 

The American Advocate was founded in Hallowell as a 
"Democratic-Republican" paper, by Nathaniel Cheever, in 1810. 
In his first editorial, Mr. Cheever announces that "political 
questions will be discussed in the spirit and temper of con- 
ciliation, consistent with independent and decided opinion ; but 
as scurrility, invective, and personal abuse are not congenial to 
this spirit, they are therefore at all times inadmissible." 

To maintain such a temper as this must have been quite a 
difficult task, for the political questions of the day were consid- 
ered of alarming importance, and between Federals and Re- 
publicans there was a bitter and implacable hostility. Mr. 
Cheever, however, edited the Advocate with dignity and ability, 
while its rival paper, the Hallozvell Gazette, founded in 1814, 
vigorously expounded the doctrines of the Federal party. 
After the death of Mr. Cheever in 1819, the Advocate was 
transferred to Samuel K. Oilman who published the paper for 
six years, ably guiding his party through the critical period 
preceding the separation of Maine from Massachusetts. 

The enterprise of the Advocate in placing the news of the 
day before the public is illustrated by an incident which occured 
while Judge Oilman occupied the editorial chair. This was the 
time when Hallowell was practically a sea port town, and one 
day, a vessel arrived, with an important piece of intelligence. 



I 



Old Books and Newspapers 255 

directly from New Orleans. Mr. Oilman inserted the news in 
the Advocate, just as its columns were going to press, and 
immediately sent copies to the Boston papers. Thus the Bos- 
ton editors, for once, at least, were obliged to give their readers 
the "latest national intelligence," as received via Hallowell on 
the Kennebec. 

It is rather interesting also to read in this old paper that 
Daniel Webster had just delivered an oration at Plymouth, on 
the two hundredth anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims; 
that Wordsworth had recently written some touching lines en- 
titled "We Are Seven;" and that a New England author had 
published a new poem beginning, "Old Grimes is dead." 

In 1825, the America7i Advocate was sold to C. Spaulding. 
This paper subsequently passed into the possession of S. W, 
Robinson and Henry K. Baker. In 1835, it was united with 
the Free Press edited by Richard D. Rice. 

In the year 1814 the famous Halloivell Gazette was 
founded. This paper was published for a little more than a 
year by Goodale and Burton, and afterwards by Ezekiel 
Goodale. The Gazette was established at a critical period in 
our country's history when party spirit was very strong. In its 
first number the editor announces that the paper "will be con- 
ducted on principles truly American, of the old Washington 
School," and that its object will be "to support those prin- 
ciples of resistance to tyranny, oppression, and unconstitutional 
invasion of the rights of the people, which produced our 
glorious Revolution, and those /^^^ra/ principles of government 
established by Washington and his associates." "The situation 
of the country is perilous, " asserts the Gazette, "and imposes 
an imperious duty on the editor which he will fearlessly dis- 
charge." 

The condition of affairs in Europe, in the year 1814, was 
even more exciting than in our own country, and the columns 
of the Halloivell Gazette fairly bristle with foreign news. The 
defeat of Napoleon is announced with these large and e.xultant 
headlines : 



256 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

JOY TO THE WORLD! GREAT NEWS! 
NAPOLEON THE GREAT IS FALLEN! 

Bonaparte dethroned. 
Complete emancipation and peace of Europe. 

In order to learn the actual effect which this news had 
upon the people of Hallowell and what were the sentiments of 
some of the prominent men of the town whose names are 
familiar to us all, we must revive the records of the great public 
celebration held at Washington Hall on the 7th of June, 1814. 
"In consequence of the wonderful and glorious events 
which we had the pleasure to announce the last week," writes 
the editor of the Gazette, "a spontaneous disposition was 
exhibited among a respectable number of the citizens of this 
town to give a public expression of those emotions excited by 
the occasion." The leading men of Hallowell assembled at 
Washington Hall where a banquet was served; and "gratitude, 
sympathy, and heartfelt pleasure animated every breast." 
Thomas Bond, Jr., presided, and the following toasts were 
drank, accompanied by music and the roar of cannon : 

The Memory of Washington. — Had we adhered to his pre- 
cepts, not one tear of regret would mingle with our cup of 
rejoicing. 

The Overthrow of Napoleon. — -An example and warning to 
tyrants and conquerors. 

Louis 1 8th. — May his friendship for America be equal to 
that of his brother, Louis i6th. By Mr. Jacob Abbott. 

Governor Strong. — The venerable patriot, equal to every 
crisis, the favorite ruler of the independent State of Massachu- 
setts. By Thomas Bond, Jr. 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Cradle of 
Liberty. — May it soon become the Tomb of Democracy. By 
Nathaniel Perley, Esq. 

American Patriots. — None are "genuine" but those that 
bear the "mark" of George Washington. By Major W. H. 
Page. 



Old Books atid Nezvspapers 257 

In the evening a large reception was given to the ladies 
and citizens generally at Washington Hall which was brilliantly 
illuminated and tastefully decorated. Excellent music added to 
the festivity of the scene. 

The young men of Hallowell were no less patriotic than 
their fathers; and on the 4th of July, the young Washingtonian 
Republicans celebrated the anniversary of the declaration of 
American Independence, "in a very suitable and decent man- 
ner." They had a dinner served in a very handsomely 
decorated room and Master John Gow, son of Deacon Gow, 
presided. The toasts prepared by these youthful Federals were 
not lacking in wit, nor in a decided expression of the principles 
of their party; and we are glad to be assured that "their 
correct and orderly conduct was highly applauded." 

On the following 4th of July, 181 5, the day was celebrated 
at Hallowell by the Washington Benevolent Society of Ken- 
nebec, and an eloquent oration was "pronounced" by William 
C. Wilde, a young man twenty-three years of age, the oldest 
son of Judge Samuel S. Wilde. 

When the first number of the Kennebecker appeared in 
June 1829 the Portland Advertiser v^yaidiQ. this comment: 

"We like the name. Let us render our own soil classical; 
and not go in search of Olympuses and Parnassuses in another 
world." 

The Kennebecker ^^\X.t(i by Henry K. Baker, evidently did 
its best to live up to this advice. This publication has more 
the appearance of a primitive magazine than of the weekly 
newspaper. Its tone is literary, and its contents consist largely 
of essays, original and selected, and a generous quota of poetry. 
The domestic and foreign news of the day, although not 
omitted, is relegated to small type and no space is wasted in 
headlines. One brief extract from the columns of the Ketine. 
becker in regard to the writers of the time shows that the 
modern wail over the decadence of literature is not without 
precedent. 

"The literature of the day appears to be fast degenerating. 
Vigor and originality are the rarest qualities in the poetry and 



258 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

prose of the times, except common sense. Willis, who was 
deeply imbued with the spirit of poesy, has taken to writing 
coxcombial rhymes for the newspapers. To read his doggerel, 
one would think he lounged about Cornhill in 'pink cravat' and 
stays, went to church with a smelling bottle, wrote with a crow 
quill, and left his tailor's bills unpaid. It is a pity so promising 
a poet should be so easily spoiled. Bryant and Brooks have 
quit the service of the muse for the Jackson party. Percival 
has just been delivered of Webster's Dictionary; Halleck, 
Peabody, and G. Mellen are too idle or too busy for poetry; 
Pierpont, Sprague, and Flint have their hands full with writing 
dedication hymns; Longfellow is in Italy; Pinckney is dead; 
Irving rests from his labors with a comfortable office; Cooper is 
writing for John Bull; Paulding, and a host of lesser stars, 
suffer partial eclipse. The ladies only are trying to be useful. 
. . . Pray Heaven the curse of effeminacy is not coming 
upon us as a nation." 

The next newspaper established in Hallowell was the Maine 
Cultivator and Weekly Gazette, the first issue of which 
appeared September 28th, 1839. This paper was published by 
T. W. Newman and R. G. Lincoln, and was edited for two 
years by William A. Drew. It was especially devoted to 
"Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts," but contained the usual 
interesting miscellaneous reading demanded by a weekly family 
paper. In the year 1845, Mr. E. Rowell, became connected 
with Mr. Newman in the publication of the Maine Cutivato 
and Weekly Gazette. In 1850, the name was reversed and the 
paper was called The Hallowell Gazette and Maine Cultivator. 
Three years later the second name was dropped and the 
publication appeared with the name of its early and notable 
predecessor. The Hallowell Gazette. This able and interest- 
ing old paper, with which all of the old residents of Hallowell 
were familiar, was successively published by Mr. E. Rowell, Mr. 
Charles E. Nash, until 1869, and for two years longer by Mr. 
Henry Chase. Its last issue appeared in December, 1871. 

A complete file of these old Hallowell newspapers from 
1 810 to 1 87 1 is now preserved in the Hubbard Free Library. 



XVI 

THE HARMONIC SOCIETY, THE THEATER, AND 
THE LYCEUM 

"The heritage of Hallowell is rich indeed." 

—Professor Charles F. Richardson. 

^^THE early residents of Hallowell were not only 
/'I lovers of literature, but lovers of music; and the god- 
^^^ dess of the "divine art" here found a shrine in many 
homes. In the households of the Vaughans and the 
Merricks, music formed a part of the every-day life of the 
family. The best instructors were employed, and the young 
people had lessons on the piano, the violin, and the flute. Mr. 
John Merrick had received a thorough musical education in 
England. He possessed a very sweet and highly cultivated 
tenor voice, and was a cultured musical critic. Miss Harriet 
Vaughan, daughter of Charles Vaughan, was an accomplished 
pianist and a fine singer. Mrs. John Sheppard, who had been 
educated in France, also did much to stimulate the study and 
appreciation of good music in Hallowell. The Abbotts came of 
musical ancestry, and the children of Jacob and Harriet 
Vaughan Abbott had thus a double inheritance of musical 
talent. The Pages were also rarely gifted; and the melody of 
John O. Page's rich bass voice lingered long in the ears of the 
church-goers at the Old South. Mrs. Elizabeth Dole Kimball, 
Miss Hannah Dole, and Mrs. Joseph Barrett were notable 
soloists in their day. John Merrick, Paul Stickney, Franklin 
A. Day, and Samuel Tenney were famous choir leaders; and 
the Livermores, Moodys, Drews, Samuel Locke, and, in later 
years. Major Rowell and Dr. John Ouincy Adams Hawes, 
contributed much to the musical reputation of the town. 

This wealth of musical talent naturally found its first public 
expression in church music ; and the choirs of Hallowell were 
famous for excellent singing. The Old South was, of course. 



26o Old Hallowell on the Ke?mebec 

the first to make a name for itself in this respect. Under the 
successive leadership of John Merrick, Paul Stickney, and 
Samuel Tenney, the choirs of this church attained a degree of 
proficiency and culture comparable with that of any leading 
New England church. A little later, the choir of the Univer- 
salist church attained celebrity under the leadership of Franklin 
A. Day, and Allen Drew. Mrs. Elizabeth Decker, daughter of 
the famous old-time singer. Master Samuel Locke, and her 
two daughters, Mrs. Maria Boyd and Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbard, 
were favorite soloists of the Universalist choir, and con- 
tributed to its fame. 

Music in Hallowell reached the height of its development 
in the thirties and forties; and it has been conceded, by local 
authorities, that at this time, Hallowell, in musical culture, was 
fifty years ahead of any other place in Maine. 

It was at this period (1832), that the famous Hallowell 
Harmonic Society was founded. This society was organized 
and most successfully conducted under the leadership of Paul 
Stickney, a man eminently qualified for such an office. One of 
Mr. Stickney's pupils once said of him: "What he did not 
know about music was not worth knowing." Mr. Stickney was 
a leader of stern temperament, and most exact in all his 
instruction. In the chorus he sang an obligato, or treble with 
the lady singers. At the recitals of the society, the organ was 
played by Miss Elizabeth Cheever. Some of the prominent 
members were: Miss Elizabeth Dole, one of the finest alto 
singers of Hallowell; Mr. Alex Jones, who had a remarkable 
tenor voice; Mr. John Stickney, an excellent bass singer; Mr. 
John D. Lord; and Colonel Livermore. 

The singers were supported by an excellent orchestra. 
Wendenberg, a German musician, played the first violin. Mr. 
Charles Vaughan, the violoncello; Mr. Frank Day, the double 
bass; Horace Waters of Augusta, the second violin; and Allen 
Drew led the alto with an E^ clarionet. This society gave many 
"grand sacred concerts." A few old printed programmes, 
still extant, are of interest. At one of these concerts, in 
1833, the "Harmonic" rendered the "Chorus from Judas Mac- 
cabaeus" and selections from Handel; in 1834, its programme 



The Hallow ell Theater 261 

included Beethoven's "Hallelujah to the Father," "Awake the 
Harp," from Haydn's "Creation," and Gloria in Excelsis by 
Pergolesi. In 1836, the Harmonic Society announced its 
sixth oratorio consisting of selections from Haydn's "Creation." 
It is sad to record, however, that even in music-loving 
Hallowel), the allurements of social life sometimes diminished 
the size of the audience at these classical concerts ; and that 
"owing to the great number of balls and parties," the oratorio 
of the Hallowell Harmonic, in 1836, was not so well attended as 
was desirable, "although there were as many present, consider- 
ing all the circumstances, as could have been expected." But 
notwithstanding this occasional lack of public appreciation, 
the Hallowell Harmonic Society exercised great influence in 
the musical circles of Maine, and, by the introduction of 
classical compositions and the famous oratorios, familiarized the 
people of the Kennebec valley with this class of music to an 
extent unknown elsewhere in Maine. 



Old Hallowell was also favored with some excellent dramatic 
as well as musical entertainments. In 1819, a theater was built 
and opened on Hinckley's Plains and sustained for several 
years by the "Boston Company of Comedians." The reper- 
tory of this company consisted of the standard dramas of the day, 
including Shakespearean plays and first-class comedies. The 
cast consisted of such actors as Warren, Williams, Barrett, 
Karnock, Mr. and Mrs. Powell, Mr. and Mrs. Pelby, Mr. and 
Mrs. Bray, Mrs. Barnes, Miss Clark, and others. Mr. Bray was 
at that time unrivaled as a comic actor; Mrs. Bray was a 
charming actress. Mr. and Mrs. Pelby and Mr. and Mrs. 
Powell shared the honors in the leading parts. Mr. Barrett was 
then a tall and handsome youth and was a great favorite on the 
Hallowell stage. Mr. Ostinelli, who led the orchestra, was a 
violinist then unequaled in this country, and who played only 
music of the highest order. He was very jealous of his repu- 
tation as a violinist and was very angry if called a "fiddler." 
He refused to play for dancing, and when importuned to do so 
by a lady of social influence, he deliberately cut the strings of 



262 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

his violin and said, with his blandest smile and most polite bow, 
"Very sorry, very sorry, Madame, — you see I can no play." 

The members of this dramatic company were men and 
women of irreproachable character who were received in the 
best society in the place ; and their performances at the theater 
on Hinckley's Plains were attended by the elite of Hallowell, 
Augusta, and Gardiner. 

The playbills of the Boston Company of Comedians for 
the season of 1823 — "positively for twelve nights only," — 
afforded very attractive programmes. Among the most popu- 
lar plays presented on the Hallowell stage were a much admired 
melodrama entitled, "Blue Beard or Female Curiosity;" 
"Warlock of the Glen," with a Scotch dance by Mrs. Bray 
and Miss Clark; "Romeo and Juliet," introducing "a masquer- 
ade dance by the characters," and "a funeral dirge at the 
tomb of the Capulets;" and a grand romantic spectacle called the 
"Forty Thieves," with splendid scenery, machinery, dresses, and 
decorations, as performed at all the English and American 
theaters with great success. 

The idea of the instruction and entertainment of the 
people by public lectures manifests itself very early in the 
history of Hallowell. Local talent was soon enlisted in this work 
and the scientific, literary, and professional men of the town 
generously contributed of their time and talent to the support 
of this commendable undertaking. Notable men from abroad 
were also invited to address the Hallowell people and always 
found appreciative audiences. On September 26, 1832, William 
Lloyd Garrison lectured in the Old South meeting-house on 
"Slavery." He afterwards remarked that the people stared at 
him as though he had "half-a-dozen heads and as many horns." 

About 1840, the political interests of the country began to 
absorb the attention of the people and the Lyceum declined, 
but in 1849, a new organization was formed, which brought to 
Hallowell not only the ablest speakers of Maine, but of New 
England. The first lecture of the Lyceum was on " Popular 
Governments," by Professor Champlin of Waterville College; 



The Hallozvell Lyceum 263 

the second was by Rev. Charles F. Allen, of Augusta. These 
lectures were followed, in the course, by a poem: "Our 
Childhood's Home," which was "an able and elegant affair," 
written and delivered by Mr. William B. Glazier, of Hallowell. 
"The poem abounded in language of chasteness and beauty, 
deep feeling and pathos, presented in all the richness of perfect 
rhythm, with clear enunciation and a delivery of ease and 
gracefulness." Other lectures by Maine orators were "The 
Poetry of Robert Burns," by William P. Drew, "The French 
Revolution," by John L. Stevens, and a poem, "The Golden 
Calf," by the Rev. Mr. Pierpont. 

The most memorable course of lectures given under the 
auspices of this Lyceum was that of the year 1853. Some of 
the lecturers of this year were Wendell Phillips, John G. 
Saxe, George W. Curtis, W, R. Alger, Henry Giles, Oliver 
Wendell Holmes, Professor R. D. Hitchcock of Bowdoin, 
Professor George Shepard of Bangor, Richard H. Dana, Jr., 
Mr. Chickering, Rev. John S. C. Abbott, Ralph Waldo 
Emerson, and Lucy Stone. "The rush to the Lyceum, this 
season," as recorded in \\\q Hallowell Gazette, was "beyond all 
former precedent." It was "almost impossible to secure a 
desirable seat without going long before the time of commence- 
ment." 

"Mr. John G. Saxe" writes an old citizen, "was a fine 
fresh-looking man, with a twinkle in his eye, who made us all 
merry by his funny ways." "Mr. George W. Curtis" said 
the editor of the Gazette, "is one of the finest speakers we ever 
heard, and his subject. Young America, was treated as only a 
master mind could treat it." Lucy Stone also called out one of 
the largest audiences ever packed into the old Town Hall. 
Three lectures were given by this famous woman lecturer, in 
Hallowell, during one week. Her subjects were "The Political 
and Legal DLsabilities of Woman," and the "Bible View 
of Woman's Rights." It is recorded that "Miss Stone ap- 
peared before the audience in modest apparel and conducted the 
discussion with womanly grace and dignity." 

The press and the people were not, however, indiscriminate 
in their criticisms of the lecturers; and some of their comments 



264 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

are interesting at the present day. Of the Rev. Mr. Chick- 
ering's lecture on "Switzerland," the Gazette remarks: "Mr. 
C. gave an interesting account of a Swiss tour among the 
glaciers, mountains, and valleys of classic Switzerland, but 
the subject was too chilly for a midwinter's evening, and the 
words of the speaker seemed to fall with icy frigidity upon 
the chattering audience." 

Concerning Professor Hitchcock's very learned lecture on 
the "Origin of the Various Races of Mankind," one good 
lady remarked on her way home, "Oh, it was charming, excel- 
lent, but — I couldn't understand it, could you.?" 

Of Richard Henry Dana's lecture, the Kennebecker wrote 
as follows: 

"It was announced that Richard Henry Dana, Jr., was 
engaged to lecture. The citizens turned out en masse to 
hear Dana for they felt just as sure that he would tell them 
something about the sea, from his experience, as though he had 
told them so. No one presumed to ask another what they 
thought the subject would be. Judge of our disappointment I 

when a rather stiff-looking man, claw hammer coat, trouser- 
loons sheeted home at the heels, and flying jibboom boots, with i 

a grafftopsail hat in his hand (these are the sailor terms for a 
dress suit), was introduced and announced the subject of his 
lecture, 'The Life of Edmund Burke!' What did we care 
about Edmund Burke.? We all had read all we wished to know 
about him; and probably one-half the audience knew as much 
about him as the lecturer. We wished to hear a professional 
sailor tell us of the sea, of the men, and the things of the sea. 
We were allvQvy much disappointed." 

The public lecture courses continued to flourish until the 
time of the Civil War when the loyal citizens of Hallowell con- 
centrated all their thoughts and efforts upon patriotic work and 
the vital interests of the nation. 



XVII 

SOCIAL LIFE OF OLD HALLOWELL 

"Our fathers fostered those good manners which are good morals." 
—Rev. Henry Vaughan Emmons. 

^i^ IS undoubtedly true that the sons and daughters of 
|J| Old Hallowell now idealize, to some degree, the place 
A^ I that is so often designated as "the dear old town;" and 
^-^ so, lest the pen of the present writer be dipped in the 
tints of the rose, lest the picture of the social Ufe of old Hal- 
lowell, seen through the far perspective, be over-colored with 
the glow of imagination, the testimony of a few contemporary 
records, writ in the good old indelible India ink of our fore- 
fathers, is here offered to the reader. 

The Hon. William Allen, an old and highly esteemed 
citizen of Norridgewock, writes in his reminiscenses of Now 
and Then, "It was my good fortune to reside in Hallowell in 
the time of its greatest prosperity when its reputation for 
integrity and veracity, good habits, intelligence, industry, and 
civility was of a higher grade than that of any other place within 
my knowledge." The Hon. George H. Sheppard, who spent 
his boyhood in Hallowell, states that this town "though border- 
ing on the frontier settlements was then the seat of more wealth 
and culture than any other point of Maine, except, perhaps, 
Portland;" and John Ward Dean, A. M., of Boston tells us 
that "there was here a state of society having characteristics 
that can never be reproduced." 

It is a matter of congratulation to all students of the his- 
tory of Hallowell that, in addition to the above brief statements, 
there still exist descriptions of the social life of the town 
written by those who could truly say: "All of which I saw and 
a part of which I was." These descriptions give to us a charm- 
ing and undeniably truthful picture of the olden days. It is 
with pleasure that I transcribe these old papers hoping that the 



266 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

story our fathers have told us will find a place in the memory 
of a new generation of readers. 

One vivid picture of social life in Hallowell in the early 
years of the nineteenth century is given to us by Hallowell's 
famous old story-teller, the Rev. John H. Ingraham. 

"In that day," said Mr. Ingraham, "people were more 
hospitable and social than in our modern times. If then a 
gentleman came down from Boston to visit for a few days 
some family, a party was at once got on foot to do him honor. 
Invitations would be sent to all genteel families within thirty 
miles of Hallowell, from Old General Chandler's in Monmouth, 
round by the Howards and Conys to Augusta, to the Lithgows, 
and others at Dresden and Wiscasset, and so over to the Kings 
at Bath, and to the Stanwoods at Brunswick. Everybody came 
that was invited. No weather kept them back, and in those 
days the rivers were unbridged, and sometimes the lively guests 
would drive a dozen miles around to get to a ferry. If it were 
winter, so much the better; for if the river were frozen they 
could make a good sleighing frolic of the ride home and back. 
Snow five feet deep was no obstruction to these joyous party- 
goers. Then, when they reached the mansion where the party 
was to be given, they would find the house brightly lighted up, 
every room glowing, fifty sleighs standing around it, the horses 
all covered with bear skins and blankets, for buffaloes were then 
very rare. At the door one or two well dressed servants, 
(often in lively, too, dear reader!) would take their smoking 
horses by the head, and the master of the house, forewarned by 
the jingling sleigh-bells, would step out to receive his guests 
bareheaded, fearless of the frosty air, his hair powdered, his 
knee and shoe buckles glittering, and his face covered with 
smiles. With old-fashioned politeness, he would assist the lady 
from her sleigh, hand her in to the wardrobe woman who 
would hurry her past the glittering drawing rooms to a warm 
back apartment, there to disrobe; while her husband after a 
hearty shake of the hand would be conducted to another 
for the same purpose by the gentleman, who, before the new- 
comer had time to throw aside his overcoat, would lead him to 
a sideboard and make him take half a tumbler of hot brandy 



Social Life of Old Hall owe II 267 

toddy which was kept constantly hot and mixed by a white- 
headed old negro in attendance. Then a nice glass of toddy 
was sent in to the lady in the disrobing room, and usually came 
back emptied! Those days of 'old times' were not exactly 
temperance times. 

"Then when they entered the rooms they found everybody 
dancing, on the very tiptoe of hilarious enjoyment. There was 
no waltzing; dances of that character were then unknown, but 
minuets and contra dances (called then country dances) were in 
vogue. By and by there was a movement into one of the rear 
or perhaps an upper room where a long table was set out, laden 
with every sort of a delicacy from a roast pig and a roast turkey 
to a barberry tart. Wines and strong waters sparkled red and 
amber in the rich decanters, and for the old folks there were 
pitchers of nice cider. Everybody was suited and everybody 
enjoyed themselves. The minister was always there! They 
used to have but one minister in those primitive days ! And his 
venerable head is still among us to bless us! He always asked 
a blessing, (or rather made a prayer as was the custom) before 
they began to demolish the fair show upon the board. 

"After the feast they returned to dancing, which, when 
they were tired of it, was changed for games, such as 'Button, 
Button, Who's Got the Button,' 'Hunt the Slipper,' and 'Blind- 
man's-Buff.' They usually wound up with 'Oats, Peas, Beans, 
and Barley C: but not before the day began to dawn I Then 
such a general bundling up and bundling into sleighs; such 
leave-takings screamed out and shouted from male and female 
voices; such jingling of bells was never heard except on like 
occasions when the next parties came off. Those who lived on 
the same road usually stopped to start together and so they 
went off in various parties and always in high glee. 

"Sometimes a heavy snow storm would come on in the 
night and before the morning the roads would be so blocked up 
as to become impassable. Such an event was always a source 
of great satisfaction to the hospitable host of that day; as he 
foresaw a continuance, at least, of the party for two or three 
days longer. One party that had assembled at General 
C 's [Chandler'.s], at Monmouth, was thus detained three 



268 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

days; and the spirit of joyous misrule reigned for three days 
within the walls of that hospitable mansion. Day and night 
King Frolic had full ascendancy. The negro fiddler fairly 
broke down, and the gentlemen who were amateurs, resolving 
not to give it up so, took the fiddles and kept up the merriment. 

"Those were days of the Olden Time! And since then times 
have changed! In all this frolicking there was no lack of 
courteous bearing. The gentlemen of that day were, in 
manners, models that we might imitate; for courtly manners 
have sadly fallen away. The ladies, too, were stately and 
beautiful, and although they went in hand and foot for frolic, 
they knew when to be dignified. Do we not now bear witness 
to this when we speak of one and say he is a 'gentleman of the 
old school,' or of a lady, 'she is one of the old school dames.?'" 

Mr. Ingraham in this sketch of the old-time hospitality on 
the Kennebec does not give us the name of his typical host; 
but Mr. John H. Sheppard introduces us personally to the 
master of the Vaughan mansion, and describes him as "a man 
of taste, fortune, and birth," who possessed the "courtly man- 
ners of the most polished gentleman of the old school." "No 
stranger," writes Mr. Sheppard, "ever visited Hallowell without 
letters to him, and none went away without loving him." 

"Hallowell, at this period," writes Mr. Sheppard, "though 
small in population was a remarkable village. No town in 
Maine could boast of a more select and charming circle. . . . 
Many fine families related to each other had emigrated there. 
Among Dr. Vaughan's connections, were his brother Charles 
and Mr. Merrick, who dwelt near him. And there was Judge 
Chandler Robbins, with whom Count Talleyrand, when a visitor 
at Hallowell, made his home; and truly the Judge kept up the 
best appearance, and hospitably entertained strangers with the 
smallest resources of any man I ever saw. There were the 
Dummer and Moody and Perley families, of kindred and ancient 
descent from the settlers of New England; and the Pages, 
Wingates, and others which might be named, with the Rev. 
Eliphalet Gillet, D. D., the pastor; all of whom are gone. 
Nor was there a more charming family than Mr. Wilde's, after- 
wards our Judge of the Supreme Judicial Court. They all 



Social Life of Old Hallowell 



269 



contributed to make this woodland spot a central point of 
attraction by elevating the moral and intellectual tone of the 
life. These social enjoyments were increased in the short and 
joyous summer, when boating parties resorted to the ocean, 
allured by the cool breezes and lovely islands of the eastern 
seashore; or under the cold blue skies of winter, when its 
charms drew forth fleets of sleighs in which the gaiety of the 
country ballroom was sought, as the merry bells resounded 
through wood and dale." 

To the names here mentioned should be added those of the 
Abbotts, Cheevers, Ingrahams, Doles, Agrys, Bonds, Spragues, 
Gilmans, and other families who formed a constituent part of 
the social life of Hallowell. 

The home of Dr. Benjamin Page was especially character- 
ized by its hospitality, and its doors were always open to the 
young people of the town. It was here that the youthful 
litcj-ati of Hallowell held their meeting on the memorable even- 
ing when the song of the Bhie Stocking Club first saw the light. 
This poem was written by Miss Elizabeth Peabody, a sister of 
Mrs. Hawthorne and of Mrs. Horace Mann, who spent a season 
in Hallowell, in 1824. The verses were shown a few years ago 
to Miss Peabody, who had forgotten their existence, but who 
well remembered the brilliant circle of young people that formed 
the Blue Stocking Club. 

THE BIvUE STOCKING CLUB 

Wend you with the Blues to-night? 

Grave and gay, engaged and free, 
All that kneel to beauty bright, 

All that worship mirth and glee ; 
Some the learned page to scan, 

Some perchance to listen too, 
Some for conquering hearts to plan. 

Some the pincushions to sew; 
Youths and Misses divers ages, 
Are going — gone to Dr. Page's. 

Wend you with the Blues to-night? 

A gay assemblage will be there: 
Vaughan with glowing beauty bright, 

Happy heart and joyous air. 



270 Old Hallotvell on the Kennebec 

The elder Merrick gently grave, 
And Mary, silent, full of feeling; 

And Gillet skilled on love to rave 
Every rising thought revealing; 

Youths and Misses divers ages. 

Going — gone to Dr. Page's. 

Wend you with the Blues to-night? 

Brovra and Perley in the ties 
Of cronyism bound so tight. 

There will dash in fashion's guise; 
Cox with fascinating air. 

Conquering hearts with every glance, 
With looks and manners debonair, 

Glowing cheeks and eyes askance; 
Youths and Misses divers ages, 
Going — gone to Dr. Page's. 

Wend you with the Blues to-night? 

Norris, Agry, sweetly clad ; 
The Farrells, both perhaps in white. 

Perchance in Carolina plaid ; 
All the Pages too, of course, 

Julia, Harriet, Fraziette ; 
So many names are there perhaps 

Some the prophet may forget; 
Youths and Misses divers ages, 
Going — gone to Dr. Page's. 

Wend you with the Blues to-night? 

Messrs. Flagg and Balch are going, 
William Stickney, Moore and Dwight; 

All the tide of fashion flowing ; 
And with leaders of the ton. 

Haggard students from their cells, 
Lombard, Otis, Robinson, 

To sport a season with the Belles; 
Youths and Misses divers ages. 
Going— gone to Dr. Page's. 

Wend you with the Blues to-night? 

'Tis certain you may be amused ; 
In some corner you may light, 

Where some neighbors are abused ; 
If 'tis not in your vein, pass by ; 

Some choice spirits still are there. 



Social Life of Old Hallowell 271 

And by the power of sympathy 

You may soon discover where; 
For Youths and Misses divers ages, 
All are going to Dr. Page's. 

Wend you with the Blues to-night ? 

See the moon is brightly beaming, 
Creation now is clad in light, 

Propitious to the lover's dreaming; 
Leave behind your toil and care. 

Leave behind your musty law? 
Go where mirth and beauty are ; 

What should you look gravely for ? 
Youths and Misses divers ages, 
Haste ye ! haste to Dr. Page's. 

This clever poem was a parody on some verses, by a writer 
in \\'ashington, entitled Mrs. Adams' Ball which contained the 



'•Belles and matrons, maids and madams, 
All are gone to Mrs. Adams." 

Miss Peabody, the author of the parody, was a talented but 
somewhat eccentric woman. She was a school-teacher in her 
youth, and did much to introduce the kindergarten methods in 
America. In her after years, she became famous as a writer, 
and as a lecturer in the Concord School of Philosophy. She 
was a friend of the Alcotts, Emersons, and Channings, and a 
member of the "inner circle of the Transcendentalists." 

A glimpse of informal neighborly intercourse between the 
families of our old tO"WTi is given to us by the Rev. John S. C. 
Abbott, who spent his youth in Hallowell. 

'•'Hallowell" writes Mr. Abbott, "was a social place. 
There were many parties. The simple entertainment of tea, 
coffee, and cake, was prepared by the lady of the house 
assisted by her hired help. There was neither dancing nor 
card-pla}-ing. There was sufl&cient culture with both gentle- 
men and ladies, for them to enpy a couple of hours of conver- 
sation. Our parlor, with its floor painted yellow, with its 
bookcase, tall mahogany clock, shining brass andirons, and 



272 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

truly splendid fire of rock maple blazing on the hearth, and 
lighted with mold candles, presented to my mind a picture 
of elegance which was not surpassed in subsequent years by the 
splendors of the saloons of the Tuileries blazing with their 
myriads of wax lights. These parties almost invariably broke 
up at about nine o'clock, and at ten all the candles were blown 
out." 

Another very charming picture of home life in Hallowell 
may be found in a letter written by Mrs. Charles Bulfinch, 
the wife of the famous Boston architect, while she was a guest 
in the home of her sister, Mrs. Charles Vaughan, at "Sunset 
Farm." 

Hallowell, June 29th [1830] 
"We have been comfortably settled in this most pleasant 
place about 6 days, and as you will readily believe delightfully 
to myself. We have found our good friends well and their 
place highly improved ; indeed, let us look where we will, the 
handsome white buildings on the cultivated hills meet our eye 
between Hallowell and Augusta. . . . How should you 
like to have me tell you the manner in which we pass our quiet 
day.? I will, as I have no news to write, and this may interest 
you. In the morning after our breakfast, we go into another 
parlor, and Charles V. reads a chapter in the Bible, when we 
all kneel and your Uncle reads a prayer ; we then rise and walk 
about to admire the prospect, the Chaise is soon at the door 
and Charles and a young lady who boards here and keeps the 
infant school, ride a mile to the village. I retire to my room 
and your father and Uncle walk out for a stroll. Your Aunt 
and Cousin H. F. and myself sit down to our needle. We dine 
at I o'clock, afterwards find our needle or book or pen a re- 
source for an hour or two, when if we wish to ride or walk we 
can do it, as there are two chaises to be had. After tea 
we have music, and here I find great indulgence to my fond- 
ness for this lovely art. Charles plays readily and sweetly on 
the flute and bass viol. H. F. sings finely, accompanying her 
Piano; Miss Turner also sings — and so harmoniously do we go 
on, that 10 o'clock comes ere we can think how time has sped 



Social Life of Old Hallozvell 273 

along. After this, Uncle calls us to prayers, and we end the 
calm day as we began it." • 

Nor were the children forgotten in the social life of these 
old days. *'Our mothers," writes Mr. Abbott, "often got up 
parties for us little children, between the ages of five and 
twelve. We went at six and left at nine. My father would not 
only join with us in playing 'Hunt the Slipper' and 'Blind- 
man's-Buff,' but with his bass viol would play for our tiny feet 
over the floor in what we called a dance. Sometimes one of 
the older boys would favor us with the music of the flute.". . . 

"The mothers" adds Mr. Abbott, "who dressed the little 
girls so prettily, gave them their parties, made the cake, 
brought out the almost sacred cups and saucers of 'china,' and 
joined in the sports around the glowing rock-maple fire were 
loved by us children with an affection which can never die." 

The "young ladies and gentlemen" of these old days, 
also had a generous share in the social life of the town, and 
occasionally a "party" would be given for the young people that 
would now be considered a "most brilliant social event." 

A description of a "splendid ball" given in the Warren 
mansion in honor of the daughter of the house. Miss Anne 
Warren, still exists in a letter written by a little girl of twelve 
years who was present on this grand occasion. The writer was 
"little Mary Merrick." The letter, of which an exact copy 
is here transcribed, gives us, not only a picture of the "splendid 
ball," but a glimpse into the ingenuous child-nature of the 
writer. 

Hallowell October 25th 1823. 

Dear Mother, 

As Mr. Dustin is going to Philadelphia on 
Monday I think it is a very good opportunity to write to you 
and although I have not much to say I will communicate what 
little I have. 

Uncle leaves us on Monday for Boston I do not know how 
long he will stay I believe it is uncertain. 

Since I wrote last I have been to another Ball where there 

» Charles Bulfinch, Aichiiecl, p. 273-274. 



274 ^^^ Halloivell on the Kennebec 

was upwards of a hundred; I suppose after what I said in my 
last letter you will think it rather curious my going to this ball, 
I had made up my mind not to be disappointed if H did not let 
me go, but she said it was something out of the common way 
& I might go, accordingly I prepared myself ^ left home about 
a quarter before 7, quite fashionable. 

We did not go to tea, but I forgot to say this splendid ball 
was given by Miss Anne Warren, there were two parlors which 
opened into one by means of Folding doors, when I went in 
there were about 50 young ladies and gentlemen, after we had 
been 1-2 hour the folding doors were thrown open & we were 
desired to walk into the other parlour, where the carpet had 
been previously taken up, the other carpet was speedily re- 
moved & we commenced dancing to the sound of a violen & 
clarionet, we danced till 1-2 past nine, when we were marched 
up stairs into a room where there was a very splendid supper 
set out after supper coffee was handed round, we then went 
down stairs & again commenced dancing, I got home at 1-2 
past II. 

I believe I have not any more to say, therefore with love to 
Brother from whom I hope soon to hear, I must say Adieu, 
and remain 

your affectionate daughter 
Mary 

P. S. I send you a drawing of Miss Warren's supper table. 

Before me, as I write, lies the drawing of "Miss Warren's 
Supper Table" made by the hand of "little Mary Merrick," in 
the year 1823. The paper is yellow with age; but the lines and 
dots are perfectly distinct. The drawing represents a very 
long table with an oval projection midway on either side. In 
the middle of the table was a glass filled with flowers and sur- 
rounded by a circle of wax candles. Around the border of the 
table were plates for over a hundred guests. The dots in the 
row next to the plates indicate "tumblers," and the tiny 
circlets next the tumblers were "whips or custards." On right 
and left of the center-piece were "iced plum cakes ornamented 
with flowers;" on the other two sides were "dishes of triffle.'' 



,t^ .7 (p <5 (>i e> 




\^ o\o a Q ,0 coop 



Social Life of Old Ha Howe II 275 

At one end of the table was a ham ; at the other a turkey, and 
at either side a large platter containing "tongues." Two 
*' silver baskets full of cake, four puddings, ornamented almonds, 
four dishes of different sweetmeats," with apples, pears, 
peaches, and raisins, completed the feast. 

A photographic copy of this quaint old drawing made by 
little Mary Merrick, will help us to keep in mind, not only 
an exact idea of "Miss Warren's very splendid supper," but 
a picture of the hospitality lavished even upon the young 
people in Old Hallowell. 

The Warren house in which this entertainment was given 
was a spacious mansion built by Hon. Ebenezer T. Warren. It 
had been the scene of a very sumptuous "house-warming" a 
few weeks before the party of Miss Anne took place, and was 
ever afterwards renowned for its hospitality. 

It is also of interest here to note that Miss Anne Warren, 
the hostess of this party, was herself only a child twelve years 
old; and we can imagine no prettier picture in the social 
life of Old Hallowell than that of this young hostess and her 
guests, as they went up and down the beautiful winding stair- 
way of the Warren mansion. This stairway itself might have 
served as a model for Burne-Jones when he painted his famous 
picture of the "Golden Stair;" and if the fair maidens of Old 
Hallowell, in their simply flowing gowns, had only gone 
barefoot to Miss Anne Warren's party, instead of wearing their 
dainty morocco or satin slippers, they might fittingly have 
passed for the exquisite vision that inspired the soul of the 
painter. 

It is generally conceded that Hallowell was the center of 
hospitality and of the social life on the Kennebec, but there 
were also many wealthy and cultured families in Augusta, 
Gardiner, Pittston, and Dresden, who entertained very freely 
and interchanged hospitalities in a delightful manner. In 
Augusta, still lived the Howards, the Norths, the Conys, the 
Bridges, the Fullers, and the Williams families; and while the 
men of these families were noted for their position and in- 
fluence in public and political life, the ladies of their house- 



276 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

holds were none the less famous for their personal charms and 
gracious hospitality. They still represented the characteristic 
manners and social customs of Old Hallowell of which they 
were once a part. 

A few pleasant tributes to these grand dames of yore have 
been left on record. "Madame North," it is said, "was a lady 
of the old school. She had a good person, a cultivated 
mind, dignified and graceful manners, and, being remarkable for 
her powers of conversation, was the delight of the social circle. 
Her sprightly and spirited remarks, in tones that were music 
to the ear, were particularly pleasant and animating. Under 
her direction the home of the Norths was the seat of elegant 
hospitality." 

Mrs. Susanna Cony, the wife of Judge Daniel Cony, was a 
woman whose innate goodness, wide sympathies, and large- 
hearted kindliness took in an extensive circle of friends and 
acquaintances, by whom she was greatly beloved. Her 
portrait is expressive of her character. Fortunate were those 
of our foremothers who enjoyed her friendship and social 
companionship. 

But among all the women of the Kennebec valley, none 
were more noted for their hospitality than Mrs. Zilpha 
Ingraham Williams, the wife of Lieutenant Seth Williams. 
With her, hospitality became a ruling passion; and in her later 
years, her generosity was such that no visitor was ever 
permitted to leave her door without a farewell gift. This love 
of giving at last predominated to such an extent that books, 
pictures, bric-a-brac, or family heirlooms, were cordially be- 
stowed upon the departing guest; and it became generally 
understood by the family friends that all gifts bestowed by the 
dear kindly hands should be gratefully accepted, and as con- 
siderately left in the front hall to serve the generous-hearted 
hostess on another day. 

Mrs. Eliza Fuller, the daughter of Mrs. Zilpha Ingraham 
Williams, inherited her mother's benevolent and hospitable 
disposition, and the doors of the fine old colonial mansion in 
which she dwelt were always open to the guest. Mrs. Fuller, 
however, was not content to serve merely as hostess in her own 




Hon. Reuei. Williams 



Social Life of Old Hallotvell 277 

house, but carried her benevolent ministries into the homes of 
others, where, in joy or sorrow, in sickness or health, in 
prosperity or misfortune, she was always a welcome friend. 
Her long life was one of kindliness, charity, and unfailing 
friendship. 

In 1832, Mrs. Daniel Williams, the daughter of the Hon. 
James Bridge, went as a bride to the fine old Williams house on 
Myrtle Street. She was then young and beautiful, and her 
home was one of the most attractive in the social circles of the 
Kennebec. Many tributes to the charms of Mrs. Williams 
might be quoted ; but the story of the spontaneous compliment 
of a gallant Southerner is of especial interest because it was as 
sincere as it was unpremeditated. The scene of the incident is 
laid in a hotel parlor in Boston, where the Hon. John Otis of 
Hallowell and a gentleman from the South once chanced to be 
sitting together, engaged in a spirited discussion as to the com- 
parative beauty and personal attractions of the women of the 
North and South. The Southerner wagered a basket of 
champagne that Mr. Otis could not prove his assertion that the 
women of the North fully equalled those of the South in beauty 
of face, grace of figure, and charm of manner. Mr. Otis 
accepted the challenge. Just at that moment, Mrs. Daniel 
Williams of Augusta entered the room. Mr. Otis, who was 
acquainted with Mrs. Williams, asked permission to present his 
friend. After a few minutes of conversation, Mrs. Williams 
arose and took her departure. As she passed out of the room, 
the Southern gentleman gazed after her with admiring eyes, 
and then said: "Mr. Otis, you need not trouble to order that 
champagne." 

The most elegant old-time residence in Augusta was that 
of the Hon. Reuel Williams who, about 1809, purchased the 
mansion, built by Colonel Arthur Lithgow. This house still 
retains its fine old-time characteristics, chief among which is the 
beautiful octagon room, with its antique furnishings, and its curi- 
ous Parisian wall-paper on which is pictured a series of mar- 
velous tropical scenes portraying the wonderful adventures of 
that doughty old hero. Captain Cook. Mrs. Reucl Williams, the 
mistress of the mansion, was the daughter of Judge Daniel and 



278 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Susanna Cony. She was a very handsome woman of impos- 
ing presence and stately mien. She had seen much of society 
at the national Capitol, while her husband was a member of the 
United States Senate, and she was a brilliant and charming 
hostess in her own home, where many distinguished guests, 
including President Polk and James Buchanan, Secretary of 
State, were hospitably entertained. 

On one occasion, however, a delightful dinner-party was 
given at the Williams mansion without the presence of its 
distinguished hostess, who at the time of its occurrence chanced 
to be away from home. A letter describing this formal and 
elegant dinner-party is still extant, an extract from which is 
here given as an illustration of the old-time social life on the 
Kennebec, 

This letter was written by the Hon. Joseph H. Williams, 
son of Hon. Reuel Williams, to his sister, Mrs. Helen A. 
Oilman of Portland, on June 28, 1839. 

" It seems that Mr. Forsyth [then Secretary of State], 
arrived at Gardiner last week and has made his abode at Mr. 
Gardiner's. Father was invited to dine at Mr. Gardiner's on 
Tuesday at three o'clock to meet him, but Mr. Forsyth was not 
able to be at the table. Yesterday Father gave his dinner 
party. I suppose you will want to know all about it. First I 
will tell you who were present. Grandfather Cony with his 
Hancock gown, General John Chandler, Mr. Jones, Mr. 
Richards, Governor F. [Fairfield], Dr. Nourse, Judge Fuller, 
Major Ripley, General Thompson, and James Bridge. Of 
course we were all disappointed in not seeing Mr. Forsyth. 
He, however, sent a very civil note with apologies. Our dinner 
went off well. First, soup, (calves head), which was very well 
flavored and rich. Second, boiled salmon and broiled ditto. 
Third, most delicious boiled mutton of the true John Pinkham 
stamp; and roast lamb with green peas (from Boston). Then 
the cloth was removed. (Wine, of course, all this time). Next 
came the pastry which was some of Aunt Martha's best. I 
can't name the varieties, but there were lots of puddings 




Mrs. Sarah Cony Williams 



Social Life of Old Hallozvell 279 

and pies. Next the dessert made up of strawberries, cherries, 
ice cream, figs and apples, and the usual varieties of dry fruit. 
Stewart was the factotum and managed his department very 
acceptably. Jane, Zilpha, and Ann were the ladies. The 
gentlemen were all very agreeable, and I know had a good time. 
I had Richards on my left, and found him a clever fellow with- 
out starch. Father took great interest in getting up the whole 
affair, directed as to everything, down to the number of table 
cloths, and the arrangement of the seats at the table. He sat 
not at the head or foot of the table, as that was not genteel, 
but at the side, in the middle, and Jane opposite." 



This memorable dinner was served in the grand octagon 
room of the Williams mansion. The "Hancock gown," in 
which "Grandfather Cony" appeared, was a green brocaded 
silk coat that had been previously worn by the honorable Judge 
when a guest at the state-dinners of Governor Hancock in 
Boston. The ladies present at the table, were the three 
charming daughters of the house, Jane, who was afterwards the 
wife of Rev. Sylvester Judd; Zilpha, who married John L. 
Cutler, Esq., and who was the mother of Mrs. Zilpha Ingraham 
Smith, the present hostess of the Williams mansion ; and Ann, 
the youngest daughter, who occupied the family residence 
until her death in 1907. 

Another home on the Kennebec where a generous and 
delightful hospitality was constantly dispensed was that of Mr. 
James Dumaresq on Swan Island. Mr. James Dumaresq 
inherited an old colonial house built by his maternal grand- 
father. Dr. Silvester Gardiner. This house was located in a 
most picturesque spot on the upper shore of the island. It 
was surrounded by magnificent old trees and commanded a 
fine view of the river. Mr. and Mrs. James Dumaresq were a 
delightful host and hostess. Mrs. Dumaresq was very hand- 
some, tall, and of a most delicate complexion. Her daughter, 
Miss Jane Frances Rebecca Dumaresq, was known as the 
"Beauty of the Kennebec." It is said of her that "she was as 



28o Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

brave as she was beautiful and as courteous and gentle as a long 
line of ancestors of DeCarterets and Dumaresqs could make her." 

Mr. Dumaresq has been described by one who knew 
him as "a man of charming address and polished manners, 
a good musician, a true lover of poetry and the English 
classics, and a keen sportsman. He was a warm friend of Mr. 
John Sheppard of Hallowell, with whom he had many tastes in 
common. In a letter to Augustus T. Perkins, Esq., Mr. 
Sheppard writes : "The house of Mr. Dumaresq was the 
abode of hospitality. I used to visit there with my father 
almost as early as I can recollect. We went down in summer 
in our sail-boat, and sometimes made only a call or an excursion 
to the mouth of the Kennebec. . . . When a student at law 
in Wilde and Bond's office, on a summer's day, I remember 
paddling my birch canoe along the shore to Swan Island; and 
in the winter season, one afternoon, Mr. P. (Page), since a 
noted merchant, and myself skated down to your grand- 
father's, drank tea with him, and then hurried home on account 
of the air holes in the ice — a distance of sixteen miles in one 
hour and a half." Mr. Dumaresq used often to visit the 
Sheppards in the old red house that stood in the bend of the 
river just below Bombahook Point; and frequently made much 
longer journeys in these neighborly visits, for "it was the 
custom at Kennebec in the winter of those congenial days for 
parties living in distant towns often many miles from each 
other, to visit their friends in flocks and sometimes pass the 
night." 

The father of Mrs. Dumaresq was Mr. Farwell of Vassal- 
borough. "A sleighing party to his house," writes Mr. 
Sheppard, "and a return after tea from Augusta on the ice are 
fresh in my mind, for our parents often took their children 
with them. It was one of those splendid winter nights so 
peculiar to Maine; when the blue starry heavens above, and 
the white drapery of the snow below, increased the charm of 
such an excursion. A sleighride of sixteen miles to Swan 
Island was but the pastime of an evening." 

"At Pittston, there was a white cottage near the head of a 
leafy avenue, musical with birds. It was the summer retreat 



Social Life of Old Hallowell 281 

of the venerable Robert Hallowell, Esq., ' of Boston, a great 
friend of my father. We often went down there to 'dine on 
pleasant Sundays after attending the Episcopal church on the 
other side of the river. On the opposite shore in Gardiner 
near the ferry, once stood a yellow one story and a half house 
where General Dearborn, secretary of war under Jackson, 
resided." 

Just below Gardiner on the west bank of the river stood 
the home of Robert H. Gardiner, built in 1809. This was not 
the picturesque stone manor-house of to-day, but was a large, 
commodious dwelling presided over by a delightful host. In 
regard to this residence of Robert H. Gardiner, Bishop 
Burgess writes : " For twenty-three years, spacious as it was, 
its chambers were crowded with the succession of inmates and 
guests, whom, in addition to his own immediate household he 
always loved to gather within the circle of his domestic 
affection, his beneficence, or his hospitality." 

The Vaughans were connected with the Hallowells, the 
Gardiners, and the Dumaresqs by ties of kinship; and the 
interchange of hospitalities between them, and between the 
other prominent families on the Kennebec, served to promote 
all that was best in social life. 

Other social guests of high estate frequently visited Hal- 
lowell. "The white house on the hill," writes the Hon. John 
H. Sheppard, "was the abode of hospitality. ... It was 
furnished in costly style but simple; there was no gorgeous 
display; everything was plain yet elegant for the day. In 
summer there was a continual succession of visitors from 
abroad ; for the celebrity of Dr. Vaughan as a scholar, and his 
urbanity as a gentleman of fortune drew many from other 
lands to visit the philospher in his romantic villa on the banks 
of the Kennebec. At the June session of the Supreme Court 

I Robert Hallowell, Esq., was the son of Benjamin Hallowell, a wealthy merchant 
of Boston, and one of the proprietors of the Kennebec purchase. He married Hannah, 
daughter of Dr. Silvester Gardiner. Their son, Robert Hallowell, changed his name to 
Gardiner when he came into possession of the estate of his grandfather, Dr. Silvester 
Gardiner. The Hallowells were of ancient English ancestry, and were descended from 
William Hallowell, of Devonshire, England, who settled in Boston before the close of 
the seventeenth century. 



282 Old Hallozvell on the Kennebec 

of Massachusetts, the Judges and their suit anticipated with 
joy their visit to him. The profound Parsons, that giant of 
the common law; the learned Sedgwick, and the Ciceronian 
Parker, successively Chief Justices, were among his guests; and 
who could forget the eloquent solicitor. General Daniel Davis, 
father of Charles Henry Davis, our distinguished Admiral of 
the Navy, or the logical Mellen, or the noble Wilde, then at 
the head of the bar of Maine, and many other kindred spirits, 
men of rank in their day and generation. The society in 
Kennebec and Lincoln was of a high order, and many distin- 
guished gentry were among his social visitors, — persons whose 
influence has never been surpassed, if indeed equaled in that 
part of the country. It was there too I saw that great scholar 
and admirable reader, the Rev. John Silvester John Gardiner, 
D. D., Rector of Trinity Church, Boston, whose peculiarly 
black and piercing eyes seemed to look into the very soul 
when he spoke ; one whose classic taste was almost without a 
rival in America, and whose great memory and attic wit gave a 
peculiar fascination to his conversation. But where shall I 
stop, if I venture to repeat the names of such guests; for 
before my mind's eye rise up that truly Christian disciple, 
the Rev. Charles Lowell, and the learned Dr. Kirkland, 
whose placid smile will long be remembered; and that pre- 
cocious and extraordinary young divine Mr. J. S. Buckminster, 
who once preached to us a thrilling discourse from this sublime 
text: 'Never man spoke like this man'; and this was uttered 
by a Unitarian in our Hopkinsian pulpit. ... I must 
refer once more to our visitors from abroad for it was 
at this mansion I saw the handsomest woman I ever beheld, 
Mrs. Richard Derby, of Boston, in whose lovely expression 
there was a shade of melancholy resembling the Madonna, so 
finely pictured by the divine Raphael to the imagination." 

The most notable, although perhaps not the most worthy 
or most highly-to-be-honored guest of Old Hallowell in its early 
days was the French statesman, Talleyrand. It is stated by 
North in the History of Augnsta, that in the year 1794, Talley- 
rand in company with a young F'renchman came to Hallowell, 
and was entertained at the tavern of Billy Pitt; that Talleyrand 



Social Life of Old Hallozvell 283 

and his young friend dined with Mrs. Colonel North and her 
son, and visited Mr. Charles Vaughan at the mill-house near 
Bombahook brook. These distinguished guests were also enter- 
tained by Judge Robbins, at the Hook. The story is also told, 
on the authority of Judge Weston, that "many years after- 
wards, Judge Robbins sent a son abroad to finish his medical 
education in Paris. It was soon after the restoration of the 
Bourbons ; Talleyrand was in high favor and in the most palmy 
state of his brilliant career. He heard of young Robbins; and 
desirous to repay in Paris, civilities received in Hallowell, 
invited him to dine, placed him at table between two ladies of 
high rank, and otherwise treated him with marked attention." ' 

The date of the visit of Talleyrand at Hallowell, is fixed 
by North in the year 1794. Hanson, in his History of Gardiner 
also states that, in 1794, Talleyrand and Louis Philippe visited 
General Dearborn in Gardiner; but, according to historic 
records, the Orleans princes did not arrive in America until 
October 25, 1796. Our local chronicles must therefore be 
wrong, at least, as to the date of Louis Philippe's visit. An 
author, ^ who has made an exhaustive study of the experience 
of Louis Philippe in the United States, writes that "on October 
21, 1797, The Boston Press announced the arrival of the 
princes in that city. . . . With Talleyrand they made a trip 
to Maine, stopping at Newburyport and Haverhill. For a week 
th ey were guests at the Martin farm, on the Sagamore Creek, 
near Portsmouth. At Gardiner, their host was General Henry 
Dearborn." 

It would seem highly probable, that if Louis Philippe came 
as far as Gardiner, he would not have failed to visit the dis- 
tinguished Dr. Benjamin Vaughan; and it was currently 
reported that both Talleyrand and Louis Philippe were guests 
at the Vaughan mansion in Hallowell. This report passed into 
a generally accepted tradition, and the Hallowell boys and girls 
have since been brought up in the belief that the royal prince 
tramped through the Vaughan glen, and fished in the Cascade 
stream; and that he fell into the brook and got a thorough 

' North's History of Augusta, p. 255. 

2 Jane Marsh Parker. Century Magazine, Vol. 40. P- 756. 



284 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

wetting, just as Ingraham has related in one of the best of his 
unhistoric stories. But, in the face of all this presumptive 
evidence, the inexorable spirit of the truthful historian compels 
me to say that a granddaughter of Dr. Vaughan, who confirms 
the story of the visit of Talleyrand, distinctly states that the 
family have no proof that his companion was the royal prince, 
afterwards Louis Philippe of France. 

The story of the visit of Talleyrand and Louis Philippe is 
familiar to all the old residents of Hallowell; but it is not so 
generally known that a nephew of Marshal Ney was once a 
guest in Hallowell. During his visit, this young Frenchman 
suffered from a severe illness and received the professional 
attendance of the eminent physician, Dr. Benjamin Page. 
After his recovery and return to France, young Ney sent a very 
generous gift of money to Dr. Page, in acknowledgment of his 
professional services, with a most grateful and appreciative 
letter which was long preserved in the Page family. 

Another somewhat remarkable person, who visited Hal- 
lowell about 1823, has left to us a curious and entertaining 
record of the place and its inhabitants. This eccentric visitor 
was Mrs. Anne Royall, one of the earliest book agents who ever 
traveled through our state. She was a native of Virginia, but 
had resided for a number of years in Washington, where she 
became well known as the editor of the Washington Paul Pry. 
She was the author of several books of travel, in which she 
shows herself to be a keen observer, and a merciless critic, with 
a sharp, satirical tongue. She was an ardent Unitarian, and 
saw no good in people of any other persuasion. Anyone who 
was a devoted Unitarian, who was polite to her, and who 
purchased her books, received her warm commendation; but 
woe to those who did not meet with these requisitions! They 
were destined to be stigmatized forever in the Black Book of 
which Mrs. Royall was the author. A few copies of this publi- 
cation still exist; and we read with much interest the impres- 
sions of Hallowell and its citizens as recorded by Mrs. Anne 
Royall. 

"Hallowell," writes Mrs. Royall, "is a port of entry and has 
much trade. I was surprised to see a beautiful, thriving, 



Social Life of Old Hallozuell 285 

populous town so far in the interior; fine, large brick houses, 
vessels in the basin, a fine prospect, and an immense number 
of genteel people in the street. Like all towns on the 
Kennebec, its length is parallel with the river, and its width 
embraces a lofty rise ascending quite from the river until it 
attains a very considerable eminence. On the top of this 
eminence, a greater part of the town is built. Most of the 
merchants and all of the wealthy citizens live on this eleva- 
tion, and their houses, furniture, and equipage display a 
superior style of taste, wealth, and elegance. Their homes 
mostly have gardens attached to them of inimitable beauty, nor 
do the owners yield to any on the continent, in hospitality and 
polished manners. Kennebec is principally settled by en- 
lightened Unitarians and Universalists who carry souls in their 
bodies, 

"I arrived in Hallowell on Saturday night, and early 
Sunday morning, or at least after breakfast, several of the 
citizens honored me with a call and invited me to take a 
seat in one of the pews of Rev. Everett's church, a Unitarian, 
of course. The church was large and the congregation con- 
sisted principally of the first citizens of the place. It was the 
handsomest congregation I remember to have seen in any 
country; both men and women were fine tall figures, fair and 
well featured, with a nameless mixture of flitting graces and 
thronging charms — the waving form, the sparkling eye, the 
glossy curl, the jetty tufts of hair, the generous manly cheek, 
the snowy forehead, the soft damask blush. But above all, 
the kind glance of friendship and classic fire, — it was 
impossible to resist them." ' 

Whatever Mrs. Royall's literary sins may have been, and 
they appear to have been many, Hallowell can surely forgive 
her much for this tribute to the place and the people. The 
account of her visit at Dr. Benjamin Vaughan's is equally 
characteristic. 

"But the pride of Hallowell is the venerable and wealthy 
Mr. Vaughan, an English nobleman who has vast possessions 

' The Black Book. Vol. II, p. 256-25S. 



286 Old Hallowell on the Ketmebec 

both in this country and Europe. . . . Mr. Vaughan is, with 
his wife, far advanced in Ufe, — shrouded in humihty, meekness, 
and philanthropy. Their large fortune is principally devoted 
to the benefit of mankind. Relieving the poor, enhghtening 
the ignorant, and promoting the public good has been the 
business and pride of the long life of Mr. Vaughan. He has 
been the bulwark of the Unitarians in America, and the 
champion of arts and sciences, a friend of liberty. This 
amiable man, modest and plain in his equipage, I found on the 
banks of the Kennebec. My curiosity being aroused I called 
at his house. He opened the door himself, and making one of 
his 'St, James' bows,' (as I conjecture, for I never saw any- 
thing like it before nor since,) he asked me to walk in and 
showing me into a parlour, instead of ringing for a servant, and 
overturning everything, he apologized and walked off himself 
for Mrs. Vaughan. After introducing Mrs. Vaughan, he took 
a seat and entered familiarly into conversation. Several 
called while I was there, attending to which must be very 
oppressive to a gentleman of Mr. V's age and delicate appear- 
ance. That I might enjoy the pleasure of their company the 
very short time I had to spare, a small table covered with 
every delicacy was set by my chair without suffering me to 
move." 

In conclusion, Mrs. Royall adds: "Mr. Vaughan ac- 
companied me to the door and while his illustrious eye rested 
upon me he put a bank note into my hand." ' 

Mrs. Royall was also moved to speak of other residents 
of Hallowell as "people of education and family, kind and 
hospitable, and affable in their manners." She called upon 
the family of the Baptist minister, the Rev. Mr. Chessman, 
and was "much surprised to find the lady and her daughter 
most charming women." "I do not believe," she writes, "that 
there is a spark of the orthodox about them." 

The author of the Black Book was evidently not so well 
pleased with her reception at Augusta as at Hallowell, but the 
reason is very apparent in her statement that Augusta "has 

' The Black Book. Vol. II, p. 258-260. 



Social Life of Old Hallozvell 287 

until lately been an orthodox town and, of course, not so 
much can be expected of it." She closes the account of her 
visit with this somewhat invidious passage: "I am told that 
the legislature of the state is about to locate the seat of 
government at Augusta. I am sorry the citizens are not more 
worthy of the distinction. Had I a casting vote, I would by a 
long ways give the preference to Hallowell, as different as two 
places can possibly be. In Hallowell, they are, we may say, all 
gentlemen." 

Among the most interesting and noteworthy men that 
frequently came to Hallowell was Charles Bulfinch, the 
eminent architect who made the designs for the completion of 
the national Capitol at Washington, for the State House at 
Boston, for the State Capitol at Augusta, Maine, and for many 
other famous public buildings. It was, doubtless, during one 
of his visits at "Sunset Farm," the residence of Charles 
Vaughan, Esq., that Mr. Bulfinch designed the belfry-tower of 
the Old South meeting-house. At a somewhat later period, 
Nathaniel Hawthorne and his friend and classmate, Horatio 
Bridge of Augusta, were frequently entertained in Hallowell. 
The Rev. Phillips Brooks, when a boy, often visited at the 
home of his uncle, Thomas B. Brooks, on Second Street; and 
Cornelius Vanderbilt, in the early days of steamboating en- 
joyed the hospitality of the Pages and other prominent 
families. 

The Hon. George Evans was also very frequently a guest 
in his native town. This eminent statesman and member of 
Congress was born in Hallowell, January 12, 1797. He was 
the second child of Daniel and Joanna Hains Evans whose 
family record appears inscribed upon the ancient town books. 
George Evans spent his boyhood and youth in his native 
town, fitted for college at the Hallowell Academy, graduated 
from Bowdoin in i8i5,and was admitted to the bar in 1818; 
and although he subsequently resided elsewhere, he may be 
claimed as one of the illustrious sons of Old Hallowell. 

Many warm tributes were paid to Mr. Evans by his 
contemporaries. He is said to have been a great lawyer, 



288 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

who "never mistook an enemy's outpost for his citadel." He 
was an eloquent orator and an acute statesman, and his 
speeches in Congress on the tariff and revenue disclosed his 
mastery of the most important measures in the history of our 
government. Mr. Clay asserted that "Mr. Evans knew more 
about the finances than any other public man in the United 
States." "As a debater," writes Mr. Blaine, "Mr. Evans is 
entitled to rank next to Mr. Webster," ' and when Mr. Evans' 
term of service drew near to its close, Mr. Webster paid him 
the extraordinary commendation of saying in the senate that 
his retirement would be "a serious loss to the government and 
the country." He pronounced the speech just then delivered 
by Mr. Evans on the finances to be "incomparable." == 

Upon occasions of public interest in Hallowell, Mr. 
Evans was often the orator of the day; and when the town 
had the honor of a visit from Daniel Webster, Mr. Evans 
was invited to make the address of welcome. It is recorded by 
the Hon. Robert Hallowell Gardiner 3 that "at a very short 
notice a magnificent dinner was prepared at the Hallowell 
House, then just opened and carried on by Kilburne Robinson, 
in the style of the Tremont and Revere Houses. Prominent 
persons from Augusta, Hallowell, Gardiner, and Portland were 
present to do honor to Mr. Webster. The time of this dinner 
was at the moment of his greatest glory, — not long after his 
great and memorable contest in the senate with Hayne of 
South Carolina, upon the constitution. When the cloth was 
removed, a crowd was collected in expectation of a speech 
from the great expounder. Mr. Evans, who presided at the 
table, rose to express a hearty welcome from Kennebec to 
the distinguished guest. Most unfortunately, no report of this 
speech has ever been published; for such an outpouring of 
eloquence for at least an hour, has seldom been heard and 
those who were privileged to listen to it can never forget it. 
In the course of his speech he quoted whole passages from 
Scott's Ivankoe, where Rebecca at the window describes to the 

' Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. I, p. 71. 

2 Ibid. 

3 Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Vol. VII, p. 470. 



Social Life of Old Hallowell 289 

wounded Ivanhoe the operations of the besiegers of the castle; 
and as she relates the exploits of the Black Knight, Richard 
Coeur de Lion, wielding the massive battle axe, Ivanhoe 
exclaims, 'Methought there was but one man in England that 
might do such a deed.' Applying this in a masterly manner 
to Webster's blows against the enemies of the constitution, and 
carrying on the simile, every moment rising in eloquence, he 
utters Ivanhoe's exclamation, 'I would endure ten years 
captivity to fight one day by that good knight's side, in such a 
quarrel as this.' At the conclusion of this eloquent address, 
Mr. Webster rose and evinced by his manner how much he had 
been affected by it. He spoke for some time, but although 
everything uttered by Mr. Webster always commanded the 
closest attention, yet, following, as it did, this remarkable 
address of Mr. Evans, many of his hearers were disappointed." 
Other tales of the hospitality of Hallowell, and of its dis- 
tinguished guests abound; but from these authentic sketches 
we are able to evolve a distinct and accurate picture of the 
social life of the ancient town. Host and hostess have long 
since passed away; guest and wayfarer have alike departed; 
but the visions of these old-time gentle-folk still linger in our 
memories like the stars of the "Dream-Song," 

"That, at some silent, dim behest, 

Arise above the river, 
To shine upon its darkling breast, 

Forever and forever." 



XVIII 

ROMANTIC, QUAINT, AND INTERESTING 
CHARACTERS 

"The few old-fashioned men and women — quaint, shrewd, and 
racy of the soil — who linger in little, silvery-gray old homesteads will 
shortly cease to exist." — Thomas Bailey Aldrich. 

^^■■^HE local conditions and environments of Hallowell, 
iW in the olden days, were such as were productive of 
^FL many romantic, quaint, and interesting characters 
^^^ whose story adds much to the interest of the old town. 
At this early period, the individuality of every villager stood 
out with marked prominence. Personal traits and charac- 
teristics were often unduly emphasized, and any weakness or 
peculiarity of the individual easily became exaggerated. In 
our own day, so crowded with multitudinous and overwhelming 
interests, no one has time to dwell upon the idiosyncrasies of 
his neighbor; but, of old, any manifestation of oddity was 
immediately noted, and by its very recognition was developed 
and perpetuated. Moreover, the last faint shadows of super- 
stition lingered still upon our hills and valleys, reluctant to 
depart; and an openly acknowledged love of the romantic 
and marvelous everywhere prevailed. We have, consequently, 
not a few stories of the olden times which border upon 
legendary lore, and many other veritable records of curious and 
interesting characters that developed in Old Hallowell. 

One of these earlier local characters, whose story borders 
on the marvelous, was an old man, called "Uncle Kaler," who 
lived on Loudon Hill. Uncle Kaler had Finnish blood in his 
veins and was reputed to be a "wizard." By his magical art. 
Uncle Kaler could make amulets that would bring good luck 
to the sailor, love philters for despairing swains and forlorn 
damsels, and efficacious potions to cure the cattle that were 
bewitched. This weird enchanter could also make sfood weather 



The Wizard of Loudon Hill 291 

or bad weather to order, although he sometimes overdid the 
matter, as the following tradition shov/s. 

Uncle Kaler lived in an old house just below the mill- 
brook, and the road from Cobbossee to the Hook ran close by 
his door. One warm misty evening in May, Uncle Kaler 
heard some horses speeding up the hill and stopping at his door. 
He opened it, and a man's voice came in from the darkness : 
"Is this Mr. Kaler?" 

"It is, at your service." 

"Well, my name is , and this lady with me is Miss 

of Pownalboro. We are on our way to Hallowell to be 

married. Her relatives don't like the match and are after us 
hot foot. Listen!" 

Away down the river could be heard the long-drawn bay 
of hounds. 

"You hear, old man! Now our horses are about used up, 
and if something isn't done they will overtake us; then there 
will be murder. You have the reputation of being a wind- 
jammer and wizard. Here are a hundred Spanish milled 
dollars for the worst weather you have got, and if it does the 
business, another hundred when I come back." 

The old man made no reply, but went to a chest and 
taking out a small leather bag gave it to the stranger, saying, 
"Go back a little on the road, cut open the bag, squeeze out its 
contents, throw the bag away, then come back and resume 
your journey." 

The man did as he was told, and returning in a short 
time said: "If you have played us false, somethmg will 
happen to you." 

"Rest easy," said Uncle Kaler. ''Hark!" and away in 
the southwest was heard a low grumbling like distant thunder. 
It increased and deepened momentarily till it seemed as if 
a cyclone was tearing through the forest. 

"What is it.?" asked the stranger. 

"A cloud-burst in the hills. It will be a sharp hound who 
follows your track in five minutes. Go in peace, and good 
luck go with you, from a man who can make good luck." 

Away they dashed through the gathering storm and 



292 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

darkness, speeding to happiness, or the contrary, as the case 
may be with married people. Under the roaring thunder, and 
nearly deafened by the roar and crash of the raging torrent he 
had conjured, the old man went into the house saying to 
himself: "I am afraid I made that bagful too strong, but I 
don't know as I am sorry, for it would never do to have the 
young people caught." 

The next morning the day broke clear and beautiful ; but 
where, the day before, a peaceful little brook had flowed 
through a green pasture, and the little mill had clattered 
merrily grinding the few grists the neighbors brought, there 
was now a fearful gorge gullied down to the bedrock and 
choked up with uprooted trees and brush ; the mill was gone 
and the big boulder that formed a part of its foundation had 
been swept away far out into the river, and now forms that 
impediment to navigation known as Mill Rock. If anyone will 
take notice at low tide they will see quite a large point stretch- 
ing out into the river from the mouth of the brook; it is the 
debris of the cloud-burst."' 

The lovers of the weird element in story-telling and of 
mysteries that never were solved will understand the thrill of 
mingled delight and terror with which the children of Hal- 
lowell used to listen to the tales of the "Unknown Meeting- 
house Beggar," and of the mysterious "Man of Ice." 

The meeting-house beggar was a nameless old man who, 
accompanied by his dog, made his appearance in town, coming 
from whence none knew. He seemed disinclined to com- 
panionship, talked little, refused rum, and thankfully received 
gifts of food from the charitable. He existed in this way 
more than a year, no one knowing more of him — not even 
where he slept. One day his dog came to the door of a house 
where his master had often been fed, and by his strange 
conduct induced someone to follow him. He led the way to 
the Old South and disappeared suddenly through an opening 
in the underpinning. Looking in, the person dimly discerned 
the figure of a man lying upon some shavings. Entering, he 

> " Van Ho." Loudon Hill. 



The Man of Ice 293 

found the poor old mendicant dead. The beggar was buried 
and there was never any knowledge of his previous history. 
The dog never left the place of his owner's death save 
occasionally to go for a bone to the place where the beggar 
had been accustomed to have his wants supplied, and then to 
run back to his lonely retreat. For years he made this place 
his abode, refusing all intercourse with his own or human 
species. He grew gray and almost blind. At length this 
canine recluse was missed, and a search revealed him dead 
where his master had expired twelve years before. He was 
always called the "meeting-house dog." ' 

The true tale of the mysterious "Man of Ice" has been 
effectively retold, by the "Old Bookseller" to "Amoret," in 
the story of The End of the Beginning, from which the follow- 
ing extracts are quoted, by permission of the author : ^ 

"The night grew darker and darker, and the wind roared 
louder, while thicker and faster fell the sharp sleet that cut 
like needles. And just think of it! All alone with the 
winter weather, trying to cross the river, was a withered and 
bent old man. Staggering along, he had to stop every half- 
dozen steps, to catch his breath, and to hunt for the path that 
grew harder and harder to find and keep. Getting a glimpse 
of the light in one of the houses on the hill, he would stop and 
call for help; a hopeless dreary call that hardly served to 
make any louder the shriek of the blast that took it from him. 
His hat was gone, and his poor thin gray hair was whisked 
about in the wind ; and his torn old coat flapped round him, 
threatening every minute to fly off in the darkness. Oh, dear! 
As he went dragging slowly along, shivering in his rags, 
falling again and again, his face bleeding from the sharp cut of 
the sleet, the old fellow would have been a sorry sight, if 
anybody had been there to see. But the old man had with 
him a friend, the friend that had broken his wife's heart; the 
friend that had scattered his children among strangers; the 
friend for whose sake he had given up love, honor, happiness, 

' Rev. J. H. Ingraham. 

- Professor Charles F. Richardson. 



294 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

and who had now driven him a homeless wanderer, out into 
the night and storm. This friend he pressed now and again 
with eager hps, or hugged closely with his stiff, blue fingers 
and aching arms, while the storm grew wilder, and his own 
little strength failed more and more with each icy gust." 

"Why didn't his friend help him.?" said Amoret. "I 
think it was real wicked." 

"You'll see," said the story-teller, coming back to the 
intelligence of his hearer. 

"At any rate, as he stumbled and picked himself up again 
and again, alone with his jug in the fearful night, he kept 
muttering all the while. What did he think, little girl, if he 
could think, and what did he say, when at last with a sigh of 
relief, he sank back to rest a little.? Perhaps, like Falstaff of 
old, *a' babbled of green fields.' " 

"Was his friend nothing but a jug.?" queried the wide- 
awake listener. "And who was Falstaff.?" 

"I'll tell you sometime," said he; "one story at a time." 

"As the night wore on the storm raged itself out; the 
wind sank to a sort of little moan; and the sleet became just 
a cold, dull, straight pouring rain that froze as it fell. . . . 
When morning dawned you never saw such a pretty picture. 
. . . It was just as though you had been suddenly trans- 
ported to a new planet where there was no warmth, no color, 
nothing but clear, cold, glittering purity. Why, hills and 
fields and river lay smooth and white, with millions of little 
sparkles of light on the icy crust, while every tiny twig of 
every bush and tree, all snug in its perfect coat of ice, looked 
as if crusted with diamonds. The whole world was one great 
jewel that lay flashing and glowing in the rays of the morning 
sun. . . . 

"All at once a quiver of excitement was spread through 
the village by the announcement made by the many small boys 
who had their faces glued to the window panes, that an ox- 
team was coming up the hill. Such a Sabbath sight wasn't 
common in that old-fashioned community, and so everyone 
wondered what it could mean. And folks wondered still more 
when, as the team came nearer, they saw the slow oxen draw- 



Lord Echlin 295 

ing a woodsled with something on it covered by a horse- 
blanket. As it came nearer, the men found they had business 
that called them to the front gate; but those who asked, 
'What ye got there?' only received for answer from the 
walkers beside the team: 'Ye'll see at the meetin '-house.' 

"When the team finally got there, and the men lifted 
their queer burden and placed it on the great horse-block, 
those who came behind could see a sudden stir among the 
folks already gathered. They moved rapidly to and fro, and 
pointed, and asked eager questions that no man could answer. 
All that anybody could say, was: "We found him on the river, 
and we brought him to meetin' to see if anybody knowed him.' 

•So, when each new-comer got to the edge of the crowd, 
he hurried out a 'What is it.?' and got for an answer a silent 
gesture toward the centre of the group, while the bystanders 
fell back and opened the way for him to see a sight he never 
forgot. . . . There, before the meeting-house door, lay a 
ragged old man, his gray hair spread round his head like a halo, 
and his thin old arms clasping a jug close to his shrunken 
body. 

"Who he was, whence he came, whither he was going, 
nobody knew. But surely this forlorn old drunkard died as no 
other has ever been known to die : for as he lay there on the 
hillside, and preached a never-to-be-forgotten sermon, his 
wretched body was hermetically sealed in a coffin that 
glittered clear and pure in the brilliant sunlight ; a coffin as 
transparent as air, as cold as death — a cofhn of ice!" 

Side by side with the eminent citizens of Hallowell, in 
those olden days, were many humbler, but perhaps not less 
interesting neighbors whose stories, if they could be told, 
would add much to the romance of these brief reminiscences. 
Among these was "Lord Echlin" who kept a cooper's shop, 
in front of the town pump, on School House lane. Had 
Hawthorne chanced to meet "Lord Echlin," what would he not 
have made of him in the domain of romance! The veil of 
mystery which still hangs over this titled lord of the cooper's 
trade would have appealed very strongly to Hawthorne's art. 



296 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Lord Echlin claimed to be a titled Englishman. He 
came to Hallowell with his family from Canada, and, according 
to the old story, took up his abode here while his son went to 
England to establish some claim to title or estates. The son 
was drowned on the return voyage from Europe to America; 
the beautiful young daughter also died and was buried in the 
old Hallowell burying-ground. Lord Echlin lived on, with 
Lady Ann, earning a scanty living by the cooper's trade until 
in some mysterious way they both passed out of the knowledge 
and memory of the people. Whether they sailed away across 
the sea, or whether they too died and were buried, there is no 
one to tell. But in the Hallowell cemetery, there stands a 
marble tombstone bearing this inscription: 

Sacred to the memory of 

Miss Sarah 

Daughter of 

Sir Henry and Ann Echlin 

Who died 

May 28, 1823 

Aged 16 years 

Also 

To the memory of 

Sir Chembre Echlin 

Who was drowned on his passage 

From Europe to America. 
Far from their friends the body lies 
Oh, may their souls iu Christ arise. 

Here are romance, pathos, and mystery, all wrought into 
this brief inscription. Who can tell us the true tale of Lord 
and Lady Echlin? 

Another character over whom the halo of mystery for a 
long time hung, was "Jimmy the Bugler," who one day 
suddenly appeared in Hallowell from the realm of nowhere in 
particular. Jimmy announced his arrival by a long musical 
blast upon a fine English bugle, which he brought with him 
under his weather-worn coat, and then played several lively 



I 



Jimmy the Bugler 297 

and pleasing- airs to the astonished townspeople who gathered 
around him. A warm welcome was given to the wonderful 
stranger by the people at whose door he had stopped; but 
Jimmy the Bugler proved himself to be mortal, for he was very 
hungry and did ample justice to the good dinner offered him 
in return for his music. 

Pleased with his reception, Jimmy decided to remain in the 
hospitable town, and soon found a home and employment 
with a good farmer who bore the name of Jefferson Davis. 
The fame of Jimmy and his wonderful bugle soon spread 
abroad, and there were frequent demands for his services on all 
festive occasions, especially on muster days when all the 
military companies were proud to march to the field with 
Jimmy the Bugler at their head; and his martial airs and 
marvelous reveille in camp was something long to be remem- 
bered. 

On one occasion a party of young men made a pleasure 
trip to Boston in one of the slow-sailing packets of that day, 
and Jimmy the Bugler, who accompanied them, often "set the 
wild echoes flying," as they passed down the valley of the 
Kennebec. When they arrived in Boston, they decided to 
spend their first evening at the theater. For some reason the 
actors were very late in appearing upon the stage, the 
musicians played until they were quite exhausted. The 
audience grew very restless and impatient. There were cries of 
"Music! Music!" but the orchestra failed to respond. Then 
softly, sweetly, clearly, the notes of a bugle rang out 
and thrilled the house. The orchestra was astonished; the 
actors behind the curtain peered out in amazement; and when 
Jimmy played "The Last Rose of Summer," with variations, 
the audience sat at first spell-bound, and then burst into 
rapturous applause. Other melodies followed, and it was with 
difficulty that the people were induced to turn their attention 
to the play when the actors appeared upon the stage. "Who 
is it.? Who is it.?" was the question all over the house. The 
only answer was, "Jimmy the Bugler." 

It was afterwards learned that Jimmy the Bugler was 
a deserter from the British armv, that he had belonged to 



298 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

a regimental band at Quebec, but weary of army life, had 
slipped away across the border into the peaceful province of 
Maine. He remained for some years in Hallowell; but, like 
many a youthful genius of his day, he at last fell a victim to 
intemperance and died ingloriously at a public inn on the way 
between Bangor and Hallowell. 

The memory of Jimmy the Bugler was long preserved by 
traditions of a pot of money which he was supposed to have 
buried on the farm of Jefferson Davis. Jimmy earned many 
silver dollars, but was rarely known to spend one. The inference 
was that he had an accumulation of money hidden for safety in 
the ground; and the earth on the Davis farm was often found 
upturned by the treasure-seekers. 

Among other interesting personages who frequented Hal- 
lowell a hundred years ago, was the majestic and imperious 
"Queen of Sheba." This regal character was a mildly de- 
mented woman, named Richardson, who wandered about the 
country, happy in the delusion that she had come from the 
court of Solomon and brought with her all the glories thereof. 
The story has often been told of how she once appeared 
at the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, which then 
held its sittings with great pomp and state at Hallowell, and 
took her seat with much dignity beside the presiding judge. 
There was consternation on the bench. The sheriff waited 
upon the "Queen of Sheba," but she refused to be dethroned; 
and not until her majesty pleased, was she induced to leave the 
house. Then, followed by the sheriff, an imposing figure, with 
his cocked hat, sash and sword, and long white staff of office, 
the "Queen of Sheba" walked down the aisle, with head erect 
and a majesty of mien which commanded the respect of all 
present. 

It has been suggested that Thomas Bailey Aldrich may 
have taken the name of his charming young "Queen of 
Sheba" from this more unfortunate heroine who once sat in 
state at the Supreme Judicial Court at Hallowell. 

One of the most original and interesting characters of 
Old Hallowell was Jonathan Morgan, A. B., known in his 
later years as "old Squire Morgan." This remarkable man 



\ 



Squire Morgan 299 

came to Hallowell as a young lawyer, about 1800, "to grow up 
with the town." He was a close student, an original thinker, 
and an indefatigable worker. His first literary production was 
Morgans Grammar of the English Language, printed by 
Goodale and Cheever in 1814. This book passed through 
several editions, and later grammarians have followed Morgan's 
methods which were "sound and good." Some years afterwards, 
Morgan made an excellent translation of the New Testament 
from the Greek. But the great passion of Squire Morgan's 
life was for mechanical invention; and many wonderful 
creations originated in his active and fertile brain. Among 
the successful and useful articles ascribed to his inventive 
genius were the coffee-mills, which had a place in every New 
England household, and a cylinder stove, which was pro- 
nounced a great improvement upon Ben Franklin's "furnace." 
It is also claimed that the first steamboat on the Kennebec 
was built by Squire Morgan. About 1820, Squire Morgan 
removed to Portland where he continued the practice of law to 
an extent sufficient to furnish the means for his experimental 
studies in his workshop. He argued his last law case when an 
old man of ninety-two years, and won it too! During his long 
and solitary life, he lived respected and above reproach; and 
clad in his loose cloak fastened at the neck by chain-links, and 
wearing a soft broad-brimmed hat pulled down over his green- 
spectacled eyes, he was always a unique and picturesque figure 
upon the street. 

One of the most conspicuous figures on the streets of Hal- 
lowell, in the olden time, was Samuel Manning, the tailor. In 
his early and prosperous days, Mr. Manning built a double store 
on Water Street, one part of which he occupied in the business 
which he here carried on for many years. He was successful in 
his trade and accumulated a small property, the income of 
which would have supported him in his old age had he 
continued to practice the habits of economy and sobriety. 

Mr. Manning was remarkable for many personal charac- 
teristics that won for him the affectionate regard of his 
townspeople and acquaintances, but he also possessed certain 
peculiarities that soon developed into what, in the phraseology 



300 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

of the New England town, is called a "character." He was 
well educated and a good conversationalist; a man of keen 
intellect, ready wit, and sympathetic personality. He was 
a singer of some pretension, and occupied for many years a 
conspicuous seat at the end of the line in the front row of the 
choir in the Old South meeting-house. He had also miUtary 
aspirations, and was very proud of his office as corporal in the 
famous Hallowell artillery, at the time it was commanded by 
Captain David Gray. The uniform of the company was "a 
long-tailed blue coat, with lapels trimmed with buff, dark 
pants, and a chapeau in the shape of a half-moon." "Corporal 
Manning" we are told, '■'■7nagnified his office, having all the 
pride of a mihtary man, but his short stature causing his coat- 
tails to come down to his knees, and his top-heavy chapeau and 
long black plume tipped with red, made him a comical looking 
object," especially when he marched with "peculiar strut 
consequent upon the high and important office of corporal, 
a title which he bore many years after his military life had 
ended." 

Unfortunately, in his later years. Corporal Manning 
became somewhat addicted to intemperance. He gave up his 
regular business and lived upon the small competence which 
he had laid up, and, when this failed, upon the gratuitous 
contributions of his friends. At one time he had a corner and 
a shelf in one of the printing-offices where he made repairs in 
the clothing of chance customers; but he spent much of his 
time in visiting at the stores and offices on the business street. 
Wherever he went, he was kindly welcomed. A chair in a 
warm corner was always waiting for "Uncle Sammy," who, it 
must be admitted, did not make his visits over-long or permit 
himself to become a bore. 

The printing-offices were "Uncle Sammy's" favorite resort. 
Here he seems to have constituted himself a sort of Scotch 
**Lob-lie-by-the-fire," for whenever he saw a garment that 
needed mending or a place where a button should be 
sewed on, he quietly and skilfully made the necessary repairs, 
but would accept no remuneration for his services. Many 
an apprentice lad, away from home, with no mother's hand to 



Johnny Stringer 301 

mend his trousers, was indebted, for a friendly patch, to the 
needle and thread of the once proud and elegant "Corporal" 
Manning. 

Mr. Manning maintained his queue, his dignity, his 
courtesy, and his congenial manners until the time of his death. 
He was never married; and of his family connections, I have 
been able to learn nothing except that he had a brother in 
Boston who was a printer. During his later years, when his 
friends feared that he would lose his entire property by his 
habits of intemperance, Mr. Manning was placed under the 
guardianship of Mr. Nathan Bachelder. This so injured Mr. 
Manning's sense of dignity and self-respect that he would not 
recognize Mr. Bachelder, or even go by the store of the latter, 
often making a detour around by Second Street rather than 
pass by Mr. Bachelder's door. He lived to the age of three- 
score years and ten. By some inexplicable apotheosis, 
"Corporal" Manning, after his death, became "Captain" 
Manning; and his tombstone in the Hallo well cemetery bears 
this remarkable and not unenviable inscription: 

Captain Samuel Manning 

Died March ist, 1842, aged 70 years 

An Honest Man. 

And then there was Johnny Stringer! Who does not remem- 
ber Johnny Stringer — the queer little man with a large head 
and body set upon very short legs, who came from over the 
sea to make his home in Hallowell.? Johnny Stringer lived in 
a little honse up on Academy Hill where he earned his living 
by making and rebottoming chairs, and manufacturing clothes- 
pins for the housekeepers of the town. He often appeared, on 
Monday morning, with a big basket on his arm offering the 
clothespins for sale at the opportune hour when they were 
most needed. He also made dolls' cradles and bedsteads, for 
the children of the town, for whom he also always had a 
store of broken,— and we must add, to be truthful— very dirty 
candy in his pockets. But Johnny's masterpieces were his 
chairs. He made "big ones for ladies, and little ones for 
babies;" and many a home in Hallowell still boasts of its 



302 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

"Johnny Stringer chair," which is regarded as a precious 
heirloom. 

Johnny Stringer was an interesting as well as a useful 
member of the community. He possessed unusual intelligence, 
a bright mind, and very ready wit. He was fond of jokes; and 
merchants, lawyers, and doctors were always ready for a chat or 
a tilt of words with Johnny. He was a constant attendant at 
the "Old South," where Parson Gillet always found him among 
his most attentive and appreciative listeners. 

Nor had Johnny's life been without its romance, albeit of 
rather a sombre hue. Soon after he came to this country, a 
small fortune fell to him from his English relatives, and he 
returned to England for his patrimony. On the way back to 
America, the vessel in which he sailed was overhauled by some 
French craft and all his money taken. This would not have 
been so bad for a man of Johnny's optimistic nature; but 
unfortunately the lady who had smiled upon Johnny when he 
was rich, refused to marry him when he became poor; and 
perhaps it was the story of this double tragedy that helped to 
make so warm a place for the sunny-hearted old chair-maker 
among his friends and neighbors. 

Another character, of an original type, was Jack Agry, 
who w^as called the "Walking Street-Thermometer." This 
highly reputable gentleman had an unusual dread of the cold. 
He was a "great reader," and loved his seat by the chimney 
corner. When he ventured out in winter he wore a long 
colonial overcoat, big thick mittens, and a cloth cap pulled 
down over his ears. It is said that people used to tell the 
temperature by the manner in which Jack Agry carried his 
arms. In warm weather, he permitted them to hang down 
naturally at his side; but with increasing coldness, he raised 
them higher and higher, holding them sometimes akimbo, 
and sometimes folded at his back. At one time Jack Agry 
kept a store; and on one cold January morning he found the 
huge keyhole of the door filled with ice. After several 
ineffectual efforts to insert the ponderous key in order to 
unlock the door, this enterprising business man remarked, 
"I guess July will give her a sweat!" and went home to wait for 



The Beldens 30 3 

a thaw. It was said that, from that frigid day, Jack Agry 
never went back to his place of business. 

Another incomprehensible piece of humanity was William 
Kendall, "the man who never worked." Kendall was the son 
of one of the most highly respected and wealthiest men 
of the town. In his youth he was a spendthrift, and on one 
occasion, when his father refused to furnish him with money 
for some business enterprise, for which he was not deemed 
competent, the angry son vowed that he would never do 
a stroke of work so long as his father lived. Strange as it may 
seem, he kept his word. He secluded himself in his room dur- 
ing the day, and at night "would savagely roam the streets 
exercising his lungs with wild terrific yells that would fain have 
made a Sioux Indian turn pale with envy." Why the town 
authorities permitted this disturbance of the peace is not 
explained. Kendall received the sobriquet of "Howling Bill," 
or the "Earthquake;" and continued to indulge in this 
nocturnal pastime until he was weary of it. He lived the life 
of a recluse for twenty years ; and then, on the burial-day of his 
father, he emerged from his seclusion. His hair was long, his 
beard reached nearly to his waist, and his shapely hands, on 
one of which he wore a very handsome seal ring, were as white 
and delicate as those of a lady. His mind had not been left 
uncultivated; he had read much, and was a brilliant conver- 
sationalist. With all his peculiarities, he was apparently a 
kind-hearted man. He possessed unusual adaptability in caring 
for invalids, and was always glad to give his services to the 
sick. For a number of years, he was employed by the town as 
night watchman, and, by a curious irony of fate, was required 
to expend his energies in suppressing other "howling Bills" 
and small "earthquakes" that strove to emulate his own earlier 
example. 

Of quite another type, and one peculiarly their own, were 
Jonathan and Louisa Belden. The Beldens came of clerical 
ancestry. They were the son and daughter of the Rev. Mr. 
and Mrs. Belden, both of whom were characterized by some 
remarkable mental endowments combined with a naive sim- 
plicity of mind. Their children evidently inherited the .same 



304 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

peculiarities. But whatever the members of this family lacked 
in brilliancy they made up in piety and long prayers. Fifty- 
five minutes by the clock was not an infrequent time limit, for 
one of Mrs. Belden's invocations at the women's meetings. 
The daughter, Louisa, was gifted with remarkable powers 
of memory; and she was often able to repeat verbatim long 
passages from the sermons to which she listened with rapt 
attention on the Sabbath. Jonathan first aspired to be a 
minister, like his father, but did not receive sufficient encour- 
agement from the church. He then aspired to be a poet; and 
day after day, and month after month, he wrestled with the 
muses. At last, as tradition saith, Jonathan entered his 
chamber, closed the door, and vowed a solemn vow that he 
would neither eat nor sleep until he had made poetry. The 
family waited with bated breath without. Noontide came, 
but with no sign from within. The afternoon waned, the sun 
went down behind the heights of Powder House hill ; but no 
one dared to break the spell that bound the poet's soul. For 
an hour, a cheerless supper remained untasted upon the 
Belden's board. Then, suddenly, the door was flung open and 
the poet emerged radiant and triumphant, wildly waving a 
sheet of paper on which was written this Walt-Whitmanesque 
stanza : 

"Up in the morn like the hopper-grass! 
Down at the eve like the sparrow-grass!" 

Jonathan had made poetry ! 

A more pathetically interesting man was Putnam, the 
inventor, who sat in his little shop and worked all day, and far 
into the night, on a mysterious piece of machinery which no 
one was ever permitted to examine. There were certain weird 
and uncanny impressions abroad, which were doubtless 
entirely unwarranted, concerning this harmless dreamer of 
dreams, in which wheels and axles and endless bands never 
ceased to go round; but even the children on their way 
to school would peer into his window and remember how some- 
body said old Putnam had invented perpetual motion, and was, 

perhaps, in league with the sh! And then they would 

scuttle away in terror. 



Old Dr. Smith 305 

Very eccentric, too, was old Dr. Smith, the water-cure 
physician, whose method, like the one described by Charles 
Lamb, was "as old as the flood," and, like that universal 
hydropathic remedy, probably "killed more than it cured." Dr. 
Weld also was a man of marked characteristics. He always 
drove in a chaise with its top painted white, that his coming 
might be noted afar off. At the house of Dr. Weld, one might 
often have met the Grimkies, who were very "decided char- 
acters," and "great abolition women." Besides all these 
there was old Parsons, the junk-dealer, whose motto was, 
"Pay to-day and trust to-morrow; and the curious old man 
who used to come from Boston every summer, never tell- 
ing his true name but always insisting that he was Plutarch 
Bonaparte General De Grand. 

No less interesting was the village tailoress who went 
about from house to house, making new garments or "cutting 
over" old ones; and whose life-work was commemorated by this 
inscription on her tombstone : 

Miss Mary Pratt 

Died Feb. 10, 1842 

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; 

for the end of that man is peace. 

And then there was Lize Cripps — poor old Lize Cripps, 
with her skimpy gown, and her hair done up in a tight little bob 
with ends sticking out like wisps of straw. If anybody in those 
old days looked particularly forlorn and distracted, they were 
commonly said to look "worse than old Lize Cripps!" Lize 
was a little, blink-eyed woman, who walked lame, and always 
wore her apron when on the street. She was fond of calling 
on everybody, and was an inveterate beggar, and quite fastid- 
ious as to what she accepted. She did not hesitate to express 
her views on any subject however personal, and yet she was 
kindly treated by everyone and very patiently tolerated. 

The matrimonial experience of Lize had been varied and 
extensive. She didn't see why so many folks couldn't get 
husbands ; she had had four herself, and found it easy enough 
to get them. The first was Pollard. He "did pretty well," 



3o6 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Lize said. The second was Butler; he was "no good;" the 
third, Dorerthy, she "left with the Lord;" and the last one, 
Johnny Watson, she was still "trying to get along with." 

For a long time Lize was employed as a cook in the 
Cheever family. She was a good cook, but she was a perfect 
"Mrs. Malaprop" in the use of English. She, one day, an- 
nounced to the guests at a dinner-party given by Mrs. Cheever, 
that she had made them a "most malicious pudding." At 
another time, she remarked that "the popularity of the beans 
took away the superfluity of the meat." Poor old Lize 
Cripps, who bore her maiden name all her life, notwithstand- 
ing her four marriages, at last died in the alms-house, still 
"trying to get along" with Johnny Watson. 

To these individual examples, should be added the quaint, 
old-fashioned society ladies with their antique party-gowns of 
dotted muslin or green ber^ge festooned with ruffles of pink 
satin ; the wives of the rich sea-captains, in their velvets, laces, 
and Canton crepe shawls; the jolly inn-keepers, the esthetic 
law-students; the bronzed sailors, from foreign ports, with gold 
rings in their ears; the prim, immaculate village milliner, 
whose fashionable bonnets, with their upright ostrich plumes 
and precise bow-knots, nodded to one another familiarly upon 
the street; the impoverished gentlewoman who "went out 
washing;" the crabbed old man from "out over the hills;" the 
blooming country matrons that came to meetin' every Sunday 
in their best attire ; and the long line of saintly single women 
that filed, like vestal nuns, up the Old South minster aisles. 
All these, and many more, had their own niches in the social 
structure of Old Hallowell, and contributed to the dramatic 
interest of the community. Could they now step forth from 
their places, we should have a motley pageant of prim, elegant, 
angular, crude, racy, romantic, pathetically incongruous, 
and unconsciously irrelevant figures, but all sound at heart, 
and illustrative of life in this old town on the Kennebec. 




Govp:rnor John Hubbard 



XIX 

HALLOWELL'S "CHIEF CITIZENS" 

I 

Governor John Hubbard. 

"His whole life was one of beneficent labor." 

—In Memoriam, by Rev. A. R. Crane. 

^^■rHE supreme honor, within the power of the people of 
/ J Maine to bestow, has twice been conferred upon 
^^^ citizens of Hallowell. From 1850 to 1852, Dr. John 
^"^ Hubbard was Governor of Maine; and from 1886 to 
the close of 1887, Honorable Joseph R. Bodwell served as Chief 
Magistrate of the State. Both of these men filled this high 
office with distinction to themselves, to the State, and to the 
town that proudly claimed each, in turn, as its chief citizen. 

Governor John Hubbard came of excellent old Puritan 
stock. His ancestry has been traced back to Richard Hubbard 
of Sahsbury, who married, about 1666, Martha Allen, born 
1646, daughter of William and Ann Goodale Allen. The 
parents of John Hubbard were Dr. John and Olive Wilson 
Hubbard who came from Kingston, New Hampshire, to Read- 
field, Maine, in 1784. Dr. John Hubbard, Jr., was born in 
Readfield, March 22, 1794. He fitted for college at the Hal- 
lowell and Monmouth academies, and by his excellent scholar- 
ship and advanced study was able to enter the sophomore 
class, at Dartmouth, from which famous old college he 
graduated in 1616. In 1817-1818, he was preceptor at the 
Hallowell Academy, and afterwards, a teacher in the state of 
Virginia. He subsequently took a full course in the study of 
medicine at the Philadelphia Medical School of the University 
of Pennsylvania, and received his diplomas as Doctor of 
Medicine and Fellow of the Philadelphia Medical School in 
April, 1822. 



3o8 Old Halloivell ofi the Kennebec 

Thus well equipped, by broad culture and a thorough 
medical course, for his chosen profession, Dr. Hubbard 
entered upon the practice of medicine in the State of Virginia, 
and remained there in successful practice for seven years. 
Having then decided to make his home in the North, he spent 
a year in study in the medical schools and hospitals of Philadel- 
phia "under the direction of those skillful physicians and 
expert operators whose fame attracted pupils from all parts of 
the country." 

That so able and eminent a physician, who had been urged 
by his friends and instructors to settle in Philadelphia, should 
decide to make his home in Hallowell, seems only in accordance 
with that remarkable good fortune of the old town to which 
so many good and great men were irresistibly drawn ; and no 
one of our honored citizens has been more beloved in the com- 
munity or has bestowed greater distinction on the town than 
Dr. John Hubbard. 

It is now impossible, even by those who knew him and who 
cherish most grateful memories of his personal ministrations 
and professional services, to give an adequate expression of the 
honor and esteem in which Dr. Hubbard was held by his 
townspeople, or the perfect confidence with which the sick 
were entrusted to the care of this beloved family physician. 
There are many men and women still living who will under- 
stand all that is implied when I say that as children we always 
felt safe as soon as Dr. Hubbard entered our doors. In the 
presence of this great, broad-shouldered, noble-featured, large- 
hearted, sympathetic, experienced, all-knowing physician, 
there was that comfort, trust, good cheer, and sense of security 
that is often worth more than medicine; but we had the 
medicine, too, and bitter enough^it was sometimes. 

One of Dr. Hubbard's biographers states that his physical 
endurance was wonderful and that ^the amount of labor he 
performed would have taxed the energies of three ordinary 
men. He responded promptly and cheerfully to all calls, 
whatever the weather, or whatever the hour of the day or 
night. In summer, the doctor's "gig," and, in winter, the great 
fur-coated figure in the sleigh, were a familiar sight upon the 



Governor John Hubbard 309 

streets of Hallowell. He visited the poor as willingly and 
faithfully as the rich; and much of his professional service was 
gratuitously given, with no expectation or desire of reward. 

With all his courtesy and kindliness of heart, Dr. Hubbard 
also had the reputation of being stern and severe when justice 
was required; and decision of character and promptness of 
action were among his prominent traits. A very good illustra- 
tion of the latter characteristic is given in an anecdote which 
has come down to us on the breath of local tradition. It is 
related that, on one occasion, when Dr. Hubbard was driving 
late at night over a lonely road, he was stopped by two 
ruffians with the sudden and imperious demand: "Your 
money or your life!" Instantly, before a word could be said in 
reply, the big doctor rose in his sleigh and seizing the two 
men, he knocked their heads together with the most tremen- 
dous force; then calmly drove on leaving his two assailants to 
diagnose their own cases of concussion of the brain. 

From a professional standpoint. Dr. Hubbard's life-work 
holds the highest rank. His practice was very extensive ; his 
opinions were regarded of the highest authority; and he was 
sought in consultation by the most skillful physicians in Maine 
and in the neighboring states. His devotion to his profession 
was intense and unremitting; and his judgment, well nigh 
infallible. 

Thus, by natural qualifications, by education, and by years 
of experience, Dr. Hubbard attained a position at the very 
head of his profession ; and his reputation as a physician was 
unrivaled in his day. 

With all these arduous professional duties, Dr. Hubbard 
did not overlook the important civic and political questions of 
the time. He was a public-spirited citizen, an ardent patriot, 
and a wise and conscientious statesman. The value of his 
principles, his force of character, and his executive ability were 
recognized by the county and state. In 1843, Dr. Hubbard 
was chosen a member of the Senate from Kennebec; and in 
1850, the honor of the chief magistracy was conferred upon 
him. He was elected Governor for two successive terms; and 
manifested in this office the same sound sense, keenness of 



3IO Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

discernment, breadth of outlook, and loyalty to the public weal 
that had characterized his professional life. 

The public career of Governor Hubbard, like his private 
life, was marked by the strictest integrity and unswerving 
devotion to duty. To him is due the honor of having approved, 
as Governor, the first prohibitory law passed by the Legis- 
lature of Maine. A contemporary writer has well said that, 
as the chief magistrate of Maine, Governor Hubbard "hesitated 
not to throw all of his influence, personal and official, in aid 
of all measures calculated to improve the condition of the 
people, and develop the resources of the state;" and that "the 
people of Maine will ever remember him with pride and honor, 
as an able, honest, efficient chief magistrate 'whose adminis- 
tration marked an important era in the history of the State.' " 

On August 24, 1850, Governor and Mrs. Hubbard gave a 
large and magnificent reception, which was long remembered 
by the people; and this brilliant social event formed a fitting 
climax to the remarkable society life of the previous half- 
century in the town of Hallowell. 

"The reception," wrote the editor of the Gazette, "came 
off at the Hallowell House on Friday evening, and such a 
display of beauty and such exuberance of good feeling and 
good cheer were never known on the banks of the Kennebec. 
About one thousand persons were present. The rooms and 
hall of the Hallowell House were brilliantly lighted and 
decorated, and a band of music discoursed on the balcony. 
Most of the members of the Legislature were present, — large 
delegations from the cities of Augusta and Gardiner, and an 
astonishing number of citizens, wives, daughters, maids, and 
aunts, of the town of Hallowell. 

"Governor Hubbard and family occupied the large parlor 
in the south part of the house, and the company paid their 
respects to him and family, separately, occupying some two. 
hours in the exchange of salutations. The large house was 
filled to an extent never known before and all the arrange- 
ments were of the most perfect description. The persons who 
had charge of the affair and those connected with the house 
are entitled to much credit. It will long be remembered as a 



Governor John Hubbard 3JI 

season of social joy and happiness, and will serve to render still 
stronger the regard of this community for our distingu sh d 
ellow-citizen who has been promoted to the highest office in 
the gift of the people of this state." 

Governor John Hubbard died February 6, 1869, in the 
seventy-fifth year of his age; and public services befittin^ his 
character and position in the community were held in the 
Baptist Church at Hallowell. A funeral address was delivered 
by Kev. A. R. Crane, commemorating the virtues of the de- 
ceased as citizen, physician, and Chief Magistrate of the State- 
and at the close of the solemn and impressive services the 
body of him who had been so deeply beloved and revered 
was followed by a long procession of mourners to the grave 
His burial place is marked by a shaft of granite hewn from 
the Hallowell hills. 

Dr. John Hubbard married, July 12, 1825, Sarah Barrett 
daughter of Oliver and Elizabeth Carleton Barrett of Dresden' 
Maine. Their home in Hallowell was on Winthrop Street, in 
the well-known Hubbard house whose simple, chaste, unosten- 
tatious, and hospitable exterior was indicative of the family life 
within. 

Mrs. Hubbard was a woman of rare intelligence, quick 
perceptions, and warm sympathies. She was social in tempera- 
ment, devoted to her family and friends, and interested in all 
that is best in life. She had an especial fondness for the 
young, entered into their plans, and enjoyed their companion- 
ship. They, in turn, confided to her their joys and sorrows 
and seemed to forget the difference of age. Perhaps it was 
this which, as the years wore on, kept alive in her the spirit of 
youth. "I shall not be like you when I am ninety, if I live to 
that age," a friend many years her junior once said to her. 
"You will never be old!" and in mind and heart she never was. 
Dr. and Mrs. Hubbard were the parents of six children. 
Hester Ann, the oldest was born in Dinwiddle County, Vir- 
ginia, February 13, 1827, and died in Hallowell, Maine, July 
21, 1836. A son, born in Dinwiddle County, Virginia, January 
21, 1829, died in infancy. The four remaining children who 
were born and reared in the favored Hubbard home in Hal- 



312 Old Hallow ell 07i the Kennebec 

lowell were : Virginia Hamlin, Emma Gardiner, John Barrett, 
and Thomas HamHn. The sons were instructed in all manly- 
sports and the occupations of healthful out-of-doors life, and 
the daughters were trained in the perfection of household 
accomplishments. Their mental culture was also carefully 
developed and they enjoyed every educational advantage which 
the best schools of the country afforded. 

Virginia Hamlin Hubbard was married August 24, 1864, 
to Thomas W. T. Curtis, a resident at that time of Hartford, 
Connecticut. Mr. Curtis was a native of New Hampshire and 
a graduate of Dartmouth College in the class of 1844. Having 
chosen the profession of teaching, he became successively the 
principal of the Oliver High School, Lawrence, Massachusetts, 
of the High School in Hartford, Connecticut, of a large private 
school in Hartford, and, for the last twenty years of his life, of 
the Hillhouse High School, New Haven, Connecticut. He 
died in New Haven, March 5, 1888. A man of broad scholar- 
ship and cultured tastes, he fashioned his life in accordance 
with high ideals and won an enviable rank in his profession. 

It is, perhaps, a fact of interest that the father of Mr. 
Curtis, the Rev. Jonathan Curtis, also a Dartmouth graduate, 
was for a time preceptor of the Hallowell Academy, and that 
Dr. John Hubbard was one of his pupils. 

Mrs. Virginia Hubbard Curtis has continued to reside in 
New Haven since her husband's death. Their two sons were 
graduated from Yale University in the class of 1887. The 
elder, John Hubbard, died January 13, 1898. The younger, 
Thomas Hamlin, resides in Portland, Oregon. He married, 
June 4, 1907, Clarine Wells, only child of Burton G. Warner of 
New Haven. They have one daughter, Virginia Hubbard, 
born September 16, 1908. 

The memory of Miss Emma Hubbard is still tenderly 
cherished by the friends of her youth in Hallowell. She was 
endowed with rare personal charms, a queenly figure, and face 
of classic beauty. Her loveliness of character, her winning 
personality, and her brilliant intellectual gifts rendered her 
beloved and admired by all who knew her. She died in New 
York, February 12th, 1877, mourned by a large circle of friends. 




Captain John Hihbard 



Governor John Hubbard 313 

The two sons of Dr. and Mrs. Hubbard, John Barrett and 
Thomas Hamlin Hubbard, took their preparatory course of 
study at the Hallovvell Academy, and afterwards graduated 
with honor from Bowdoin College. For a few years they both 
engaged in teaching preparatory to their professional life-work. 
But the outbreak of the Civil War terminated these plans, and 
John and Thomas Hubbard were among the first of the many 
noble and patriotic young men who were fired with an ardent 
enthusiasm for the cause of the Union, and who served in the 
armies of the United States. 

On entering the army, John Hubbard received the com- 
mission of First Lieutenant in the First Maine Battery. 
Later he was commissioned by the United States as Captain 
and Assistant Adjutant General, and served as Chief of Staff 
of General Godfrey Weitzel. He was a brave and devoted 
officer and was adored by his comrades in arms. He met with 
a soldier's death at the first assault on Port Hudson, May 
27th, 1863. 

The news of the death of John Hubbard was received in 
Hallowell with overwhelming sorrow. His name is still held in 
honored remembrance by the John Hubbard Army Post, and 
by all who knew him, whether in civil or military life. He was 
a noble youth, — the heart of valor and the soul of honor. He 
may well be called the Chevalier Bayard of Hallowell,— "with- 
out fear, and without reproach." 

Captain John Hubbard, at the time of his death, was 
betrothed to a very beautiful young lady, Miss Cordelia 
Chadwick, daughter of Samuel Chadwick of Portland. Just 
before the battle of Port Hudson, Captain Hubbard had arranged 
for leave of absence in order to return to Maine for his marriage 
with Miss Chadwick. A few days later came the news of his 
heroic yet tragic death; and thus, around the story of his be- 
trothal, there ever lingers a halo of mingled pathos and romance. 
Miss Chadwick was a rarely gifted and most attractive woman 
who found consolation for her own crushing sorrow in doing 
whatever lay in her power for the happiness of those she loved. 
During the last years of her life she resided with Mrs. Virginia 
Curtis at New Haven, and frequently came with her to spend 



314 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

the summer months in Hallowell where she was much admired 
and beloved. 

Thomas H. Hubbard, prior to the war, had graduated from 
the law school at Albany and had been admitted to the New 
York bar; but, in 1862, he enlisted in the Union army. He 
was Adjutant of the 25th Maine Volunteers, and afterwards 
Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel of the 30th Maine Volunteers. 
He distinguished himself by his bravery and brilliant services, 
and was brevetted Brigadier General, July 13th, 1865. He 
fought valiantly in the battles of the Red River campaign and 
in the Shenandoah Valley under General Phil Sheridan; and 
was mustered out of service soon after the close of the war. 
He then resumed the practice of law in New York and has 
become well known in his profession, and as an official of 
railroad and banking corporations. 

But it is here fitting to speak in detail only of the connec- 
tion of General Hubbard with the interests of our own state 
and community. To his munificence, Bowdoin College is 
indebted for its incomparable Library building, and for other 
generous gifts which have been gratefully and enthusiastically 
received by his Alma Mater. To him the Hallowell Library 
owes the very generous endowment by which, in 1893, this 
time-honored institution was enabled to enlarge its granite 
edifice and open its doors as a free library. Its present name, 
"The Hubbard Free Library," has been given in memory of 
the Hubbard family. 

General Thomas Hubbard married Sibyl A. Fahnestock 
of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, January 28th, 1868. Their sur- 
viving children are John Hubbard, Sibyl Emma Hubbard, now 
Mrs. Herbert S. Darlington of Philadelphia, and Anna Weir 
Hubbard. A son, born in New York November 21, 1871, died 
December 9th, 1871. Another son, Thomas Hamhn, born in 
New York, July 30, 1874, died March 7, 1879. 

General Hubbard and his sister, Mrs. Virginia H. Curtis, 
have always retained their affection for Hallowell, as is shown 
by their personal interest in all that pertains to the present 
advancement of the place, or to the preservation of the records 
of its historic past. Their early home, which they frequently 




Governor Joseph R. Bodweli, 



Governor Joseph R. Bodwell 315 

visit, still stands beneath its majestic elms with an air of 
unmoved, old-time superiority, based on simple worth and un- 
blemished character,— a fitting expression of the name and 
fame of the family of Hubbard. 



II 

Governor Joseph R. Bodwell. 

"Yet how better can a man die than in the flower of a well- 
spent life and at the topmost pinnacle of his success?" 

—In Memory of Governor Bodwell. 

A generation passed after the death of Governor Hubbard, 
and there arose in Hallowell a second man, ' good, wise, and 
strong, a fearless champion of the right, a philanthropic citizen, 
an efficient, faithful, and incorruptible administrator of the 
law, on whom the people proudly bestowed the office of Chief 
Magistrate of the State of Maine. This man was Joseph R. 
Bodwell. 

Governor Joseph R. Bodwell was the son of Joseph and 
Mary How Bodwell. He was born June 18, 1818, at Methuen, 
Massachusetts, in an old colonial mansion that had been 
occupied by five generations of the Bodwell family. The 
Bodwells of Methuen were descended from Henry Bodwell, 
who took the freeman's oath in Newbury, in 1678, and who is 
on record as a soldier in King Philip's war. In 1693, Henry 
Bodwell removed to Haverhill on the Merrimack, where 
Bodwell's Ferry and Bodwell's Falls still commemorate his 
name. The descendants of Henry Bodwell in this country 
were men of ability and influence, and were characterized by 
the best qualities of New England manhood. It is also in- 
teresting to know that, centuries before the time of the first 
comers to this country, there was a long and honorable line of 

' The Honorable Samuel Wells has sometimes been classed with the Governors 
given by Hallowell to the State; but Judge Wells, although for a number of years an 
honored resident of Hallowell, was, at the time of his election to the office of Gov- 
ernor, a citizen of Portland. 



3i6 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Bodwells, who "trace their record through thirty-four genera- 
tions, back to Cunnedda, the Roman general who conquered 
North Wales, A. D. 500." 

The childhood of Joseph R. Bod well was passed upon 
the ancestral acres of the Bodwell farm in Methuen. His 
youth and early manhood were spent in acquiring a practical 
knowledge of the business pursuits through which he made the 
great financial successes of his life. He married, first, October 
3, 1848, Eunice, daughter of Josiah and Hannah Austin Fox of 
Dracut, Massachusetts; and, second, July 25, 1859, Hannah C. 
Fox, the sister of his first wife. The only child of the first 
marriage was Persis Mary Bodwell, who married, first. Rev. 
Jotham M. Paine of Hallowell; and, second. Dr. George W. 
Martin of Augusta. Of the second marriage of Joseph R. 
Bodwell, was born one son, the Honorable Joseph F. Bodwell, 
now President of the Hallowell Granite Works. Mr. Charles 
Bodwell Paine, son of Rev. Jotham and Persis M. Paine, is the 
only descendant in his generation, of Governor Joseph R. 
Bodwell. 

In 1852, Mr. Bodwell came to Maine and in company with 
Honorable Moses Webster, opened the granite quarries at 
Vinalhaven. In 1866, Mr. Bodwell removed to Hallowell, and 
later organized the Hallowell Granite Works, of which he was 
made president and chief executive officer. The business of 
the company soon assumed extensive proportions and gave 
employment to a large number of men. The Hallowell granite 
was sent into almost every state in the Union. Monuments, 
statues of famous men, and magnificent public buildings, 
hewn from the Hallowell quarries are found in our large cities 
throughout the New England, Middle, and Southern States. 
Governor Bodwell also had large interests in lumbering and 
milling companies, in agriculture and stock-raising, in the ice 
business on the Kennebec, in railroad development, and in 
other extensive financial enterprises. He was a business man 
of sterling integrity, sound common sense, untiring effort, 
keen perception of values, and rare executive ability. He held 
many important industries within his strong grasp, and by his 
unswerving energy and rare judgment, attained large and well- 



Governor Joseph R. Bodwell 317 

merited success. It was said of him that he was a genuine 
alchemist, transmuting all he touched in a business way, even 
our granite hills, into gold. 

As a citizen of wealth and influence, Governor Bodwell 
had it in his power to do much for the welfare of Hallowell; 
and he never failed to respond to any worthy call. In his 
private life, he was a man of the highest character, revered and 
beloved in his family, spotless in integrity, boundless in charity, 
a delightful friend and neighbor, a benefactor of the working 
man, a patriotic and public-spirited citizen who used his wealth 
for the benefit of the community and the good of the State. 

Governor Bodwell was not a politician. He never sought 
the emoluments of office, but was one of those rare men who 
have the honors of official position thrust upon them. At the 
unanimous and importunate request of his fellow citizens, he 
served Hallowell as mayor for two terms, and also twice repre- 
sented Hallowell in the Maine Legislature; and was twice 
delegate from Maine to the Republican national convention. 
While in office, he devoted all the wealth and strength of his 
magnificent force to the purposes to which he had pledged his 
service, and the results were such that the next step to the 
gubernatorial chair seemed but the natural transition. And 
yet it was with great reluctance, and with a generous sacrifice 
of his own interests, that he consented to have his name pre- 
sented as candidate for the office of Governor of Maine. In 
1886, Mr. Bodwell was elected Chief Magistrate of the State; 
and with fidelity and ability discharged the duties that 
devolved upon him. "It was very evident," said one authority 
"that Governor Bodwell was Governor of Maine himself ! His 
individuality was pronounced in all his official acts. ... He 
brought to the office of Governor the same qualities that 
had made his business career honorable and successful, and his 
administration reflects credit upon the State and honor upon 
his memory." 

Governor Bodwell died in office, December 15, 1887; and 
the sorrow of the people of Maine was profound and sincere. 
The spontaneous tributes of all classes of people to the life and 
character of this honored and beloved Chief Magistrate show 



31 8 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

how strongly his personality was impressed upon the public 
mind. "Probably no man in Maine was ever mourned more 
sincerely and generally. He was one of God's noblest works, 
'an honest man.' His was a wonderful combination of soul, 
brain, energy, and courage, such as appears at the rarest 
intervals. He drew his friends around him with hooks of steel. 
Good men believed in him and stood by him. His was a noble 
nature, and that nobility was manifested in unostentatious 
deeds of benevolence and charity. He was preeminently the 
laborer's friend, always popular with the hundreds of men 
constantly in his employ. . . . He loved his state above 
the selfish clamor of party strife, and performed the duties of 
Chief Magistrate with a wisdom and impartiality born of his 
sagacity and noble character." ' 

The remains of this honored Governor, of this good, 
strong man, lay in state in the Capitol of Maine while a 
long procession of ten thousand mourners passed and paid their 
tribute to the dead. Solemn and impressive ceremonies were 
performed, and, to the sound of the minute guns, the funeral 
cortege passed to the old burying-ground in Hallowell. Then 
above the stillness came the crash of artillery and three salvos 
from the arsenal battery announced to the grief-stricken 
people that their beloved townsman and Maine's Chief Mag- 
istrate was laid among the dead. 

The loss to the state of this noble son, this experienced 
financier, this able and distinguished Governor, was very great: 
the loss to Hallowell of its magnanimous public benefactor, its 
large-hearted friend, its beloved and honored chief citizen, was 
irreparable. 

' In Memoriam. Hon. Joseph R. Bodwell, pp. 49-50. 



XX 
SHIPPING AND SHIP-MASTERS OF HALLOWELL 

"The peace that builds a ship like this, 
Is worth a thousand wars." 

— William Belcher Glazier. 

^mm^UY. early history of Hallowell shows that the material 
/ I prosperity of the town resulted from its unusual com- 
^^^ mercial facilities, and its large maritime trade, which 
was carried on by vessels built and owned by Hallowell 
men. A complete record of the ships and ship-masters of this 
old town, could it now be written, would prove most valuable 
and interesting, but we can only offer on these pages a brief 
mention of some of the famous old ships long remembered by 
the townspeople, with sketches of a few of those old ship- 
masters who stand as representatives of a class of men now 
passing from our midst. 

The story of the good ship Hallowell is perhaps one of the 
most interesting and thrilling of the many that might be told. 
This ship was built on the east shore of the river during the 
first decade of the nineteenth century. Its launching is vividly 
described by "An Old Citizen" who writes as follows: 

'Tn imagination I can almost hear the sounds of the ship- 
builder's axe and maul. The sounds suddenly cease and for a 
few minutes all is still. Then comes a shout, and a stately 
ship is seen to emerge from the gully and glide majestically 
into the water. As she dips her bows into the water the sound 
of breaking a glass bottle greets our ears and we faintly hear 
the word "Hallowell" borne to us; and we know that is the 
name of the noble ship built and owned by the late Judge 
Dummer, This noble ship was commanded by our well-known 
and highly respected fellow-citizen. Captain Samuel Smith." 

The Hallozvell, after many exciting adventures, during 
which her young captain showed great courage, was at last 
captured by the British in the war of 1812, and was left dis- 



320 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

mantled just outside of Bermuda. Captain Smith and his 
family were long remembered in Hallowell. He was the father 
of Mrs. Major E. Rowell, and grandfather of Mr. George 
Rowell, the well-known editor of the Portland Advertiser. 

Another famous vessel built in Hallowell was the fast 
brig Mary Jane that made a great reputation, at the time of the 
embargo, by running the gauntlet under fire from the fort at 
the mouth of the Kennebec. The sprightly Mary Jane 
escaped without damage, and reached the West Indies where 
her cargo was sold at great profit to her owners. 

Among the many tragic tales oft-told around the hearth- 
stones of our ancestors was that of the brave young sea- 
captain, George Carr, who, with his beautiful young bride from 
Loudon Hill, set sail for Gibraltar in the ship E. G. Pierce. 
This fine new vessel swept grandly down the Kennebec, 
and out into the ocean never to return. Long afterwards, 
somewhere on the Grand Banks, the brig was found bottom 
upwards with her name still legible upon her stern. 

It is no wonder that our grandsires, at the family altar, 
always prayed for "those that go down to the sea in ships;" or 
that one of Maine's most gifted daughters should write: 

"God bless them all who die at sea! 

If they must sleep in restless waves, 
God make them dream they are ashore, 

With grass upon their graves." 

The early part of the nineteenth century was a period 
of great activity in the Hallowell shipyards ; and the launch- 
ing of a vessel, although a familiar sight, never failed to 
awaken the wildest enthusiasm. 

About 1830, the shipyards of Mr. E. G. Pierce were filled 
with busy workmen. Here was built the well-remembered 
Marshal Ney, owned by Robinson and Page, and commanded 
by the "crack shipmaster," Captain Abram Thing; also 
another vessel, of 450 tons, owned by Rufus K. Page and 
commanded by Captain Smith. It is stated in a contemporary 
number of the Hallowell Gazette that Mr, Pierce built and 



Atkins 7 21 

launched these two fine ships, and employed forty-five men per 
day during the season, "without the use of ardent spirits." 

In 1849, the ship /,?//« Merrick, named in honor of one of 
Hallov/ell's most distinguished citizens, was built and launched. 
The Gazette announces that this ship "went into the water 
in beautiful style and rested on its surface with commendable 
grace and dignity." 

It is also stated in the Gazette "that more than half of the 
ships built in the United States in this year (1849) were built 
in Maine;" and a very generous proportion of these were built 
in Hallowell. The great yards of Master Kempton and Master 
Small were at this time very busy and it was extremely gratify- 
ing, as the editor of the Gazette assures us, "to witness once 
more, here in Old Hallowell, these exciting launching days 
when young and old flocked together to see the sports of the 
occasion." 

In the early fifties there was another revival of ship-build- 
ing in the Hallowell yards. This was in a great measure due 
to the enterprise and public spirit of Mr. Rufus K. Page, who 
was mayor of Hallowell at this time, and one of the largest 
ship-owners on the Kennebec. 

Captain James Atkins also owned a number of large 
vessels, and among them was the Lizzie Reed, built of white 
oak and hackmatack, "copper fastened," and called "one of the 
prettiest brigs ever launched on the Kennebec." In 1853, 
another fine brig was launched "in the presence of the early 
risers of Hallowell." This brig was largely owned by Mr. 
Peter Atherton, a wealthy farmer who possessed the fine estate 
now called "Granite Hill Farm" and cultivated by the well- 
known orchardist, Mr. William Peter Atherton. The Gov- 
ernor Hubbard, the John Davis, and the Oleana of eight 
hundred tons, were also famous vessels in their day. 

The largest ship built in Hallowell at this period (1853) 
was the Henry Reed; and no vessel ever dipped her prow into 
the Kennebec freighted with more good wishes than this 
noble craft of nine hundred tons. The Henry Reed \\^.s owned 
by twelve well-known men, among whom were Thomas 
Andrews, Ambrose Merrill, Henry Reed, and Captain George 



322 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Dearborn for whom the ship was built. Thomas Andrews was 
the "ship's husband" and largest owner. 

The first voyage of the Henry Reed was from Hallowell to 
St. Johns and thence to London. For three years the Henry 
Reed made prosperous and profitable voyages between New 
York and Antwerp under the command of its young Captain, 
George Dearborn. The ship was then transferred by Captain 
Dearborn to the command of his brother, Henry Dearborn, 
and sent to Australia. From that time the sailor's proverbial 
"good luck" deserted the Henry Reed. The ship was dis- 
masted off Cape Horn, taken into Rio de Janeiro for repairs, 
and finally sold in London to pay the underwriters. Thence- 
forth, this brave old Hallowell ship sailed — who knows where? 
— under the English flag. 

It is interesting to know that Captain Dearborn, the first 
gallant commander of the Henry Reed, is still living at the age 
of eighty-seven years. His home is in Brooklyn, New York; 
but his summers are spent with his daughter, Mrs. Frederick 
Bradstreet, in Gardiner, Maine. His reminiscences of his long 
and prosperous career as a sea-captain are full of thrilling in- 
terest. He was master of the Trident, the Emma Watts, the 
Henry Reed, the Kittie Floyd, the Yorkshire, and other sailing 
vessels, and afterward commanded several steamships owned 
by Murray, Ferris, and Company, and by the Cromwell line. 
Twice Captain Dearborn went round the world; twice he 
retired from the sea, but was lured back by that nameless 
love and longing that never loses its hold on the heart of the 
true-born sailor. This innate, enthusiastic love of the sea still 
inspires the many interesting tales related by Captain Dear- 
born; and, in the aged master of the Henry Reed, we find an 
ideal example of the true old Kennebec sea-captain. 

As a large number of these old sea-captains resided in 
Hallowell, many of the younger men were induced by their 
success to follow the sea. The hearts of these ambitious lads 
were easily stirred by the wonderful stories which the old 
sailors told on their return from "foreign parts;" and to 
"double the Cape," or "go round the world," became the 
absorbing desire of many a boy reared in the quiet homes of 



Cox 323 

Hallowell. And so, from the peaceful, smiling farms on the 
river-shores, from the heights of Loudon Hill, and from the 
very heart of the town, these brave youths went gaily forth 
to seek their fortunes on the sea. They sailed on fishing 
schooners, on trading-vessels, on the whaling ships to the 
perilous "Banks," and on deep-sea voyages to the Orient or the 
islands of the Pacific. Many a mother has stood upon Hal- 
lowelFs ancient crowded wharves to bid good-bye to her boy 
who would, perhaps, return a bronzed and bearded man, or, 
perhaps, alas, be ''missing" when the ship again sailed into 
port. Happily there were many of the former class, and 
Hallowell thus became the home of a large number of suc- 
cessful and wealthy sea-captains. 

The memory of these old sea-captains should ever be 
preserved in the annals of the town, for they are examples of 
a type of men that has almost disappeared from our midst; 
and if a single family were to be chosen to illustrate a long 
line of these typical old ship-masters, none could be found 
more truly representative than that of our early settler, 
Captain James Cox. 

Born of sea-faring ancestry, the son of a Boston ship- 
master, Captain James Cox inherited a love of the sea which 
he bequeathed to his descendants. In 1762, James Cox came to 
Hallowell and settled on the beautiful intervale on the east 
side of the river. His son, Gershom Cox, who also "followed 
the sea," married Sarah Hussey, daughter of Captain Obed 
Hussey. Five stalwart sons of this marriage. Comfort Smith, 
Arthur, William Henry, James V., and G. Leander, all "went 
out before the mast," and became masters of their own ships. 
Gershom Cox may therefore very fittingly be called, the 
"father of sea-captains." 

Captain Comfort Smith Cox, born September 22, 1801, 
married, July 22, 1827, Abigail Smiley, and had four children: 
Sarah H., who married Jacob G. Fletcher; Mary Cora, who 
married Edwin J. Benner; Barrett who married Victoria L. 
Bailey; and Elizabeth A., who married S. Franklin Davenport, 
son of Nathaniel Davenport and a descendant of Thomas 
Davenport, a soldier of the war of the Revolution. The name 



324 Old Hallowell on the Kemiebec 

of Davenport is represented in Hallowell, in the present 
generation, by Mr. Ralph Davenport, son of Mr. and Mrs. S. 
F. Davenport. 

Captain Comfort Smith Cox is well remembered as a 
typical "retired sea-captain," who, having stood upon the 
quarter-deck through the storm and stress of many perilous 
voyages, was permitted to pass his last years in ease and hap- 
piness with his family in the fair haven of Hallowell. 

The Agrys were also sons of the sea and successful 
masters of their own vessels. Captain John and Captain 
Thomas Agry came to Hallowell about 1801. Captain Thomas, 
born in Barnstable, August 6, 1756, married Hannah Nye of 
Sandwich. Their oldest daughter married Judge Kingsbury 
of Gardiner; their second daughter, Martha, married Colonel 
William O. Vaughan of Hallowell. Mrs. Hannah Agry died 
in 1794. In 1 80 1, Captain Thomas married Sally, daughter 
of Benjamin and Mercy Hammett of Boston. They built and 
resided in the house afterwards owned by Moses W. Farr, 
Esq. Captain Thomas Agry was at one time president of the 
old Hallowell and Augusta Savings Bank, and was one of the 
prominent and influential citizens of Hallowell. He died April 
25, 1 82 1, aged sixty-five. 

Other sea-captains, whose names often appear on the 
maritime records of Hallowell, were the Hinckleys, the Smiths, 
the Nyes, the Dingleys, Abner Lowell, Joshua Carr, Abram 
Thing, and Sarson Butler. Shubael West was the popular 
master of the packet Delia, who "solemnly deposed" before 
Ariel Mann, justice of the peace, that he and everyone on board 
his vessel, "except one woman," had seen the sea-serpent off 
Cape Ann. Later ship-masters were Captain Davis; Captain 
Thomas Snow; the three Cooper brothers, James, Henry, and 
Llewellyn; Captain Samuel Watts and his sons, Samuel, 
Edward, and "Captain Lawson," whose daughter Helen, 
married Mr. Samuel Glazier of Hallowell; Captain Titcomb, 
the father of Walter Titcomb, a naval officer in the Civil War, 
of Dr. Arthur Titcomb, and of Mrs. Carrie Titcomb Colcord; 
and Captain John McClintock, whose record as a successful 
ship-master covered half a century. 



Drew J25 

One of the most familiar and honored names in the long 
list of later Hallowell sea-captains is that of John H. Drew, 
well known as an able and efficient ship-officer, and as the author 
of a series of breezy sea-letters and picturesque descriptions 
of "foreign parts," which, under the signature of "The 
Kennebecker," appeared in the columns of the Bostoji Journal. 

Captain Drew was born in Chelsea, formerly a part of 
Hallowell, on the east side of the Kennebec. He was the son 
of Allen Drew, ship-carver, and a man of marked individuality 
in the town. 

Born and bred in a seafaring community, the son of the old 
ship-carver early manifested a strong love of the sea and an 
irresistible longing for the life of the sailor. When but a boy 
of eleven years, John Drew set sail in the forecastle, and by his 
own energy and ability rose to the office of captain of the 
Fearless. He afterwards commanded the Franklin and the 
Sea Witch, and sailed in many seas and visited almost every 
foreign port. frequented by American vessels. He "doubled the 
Cape" many times, and was often in the Chinese and East 
Indian waters. 

In reference to Captain Drew and his literary work, the 
Boston Journal f^x'mX.'s, t\\\^ tribute: "Captain Drew was a self- 
taught man, and the large fund of information which he 
possessed was the fruit of reading and observation and travel 
in every part of the globe. He wrote without affectation or 
straining for effect, in a vigorous, straightforward style, breezy 
and original, and with the .savor of the sea in every line. His 
racy and vivid descriptions of life on shipboard and of strange 
experiences in distant ports were widely popular, and few New 
England writers in this particular department were better 
known than he." 

Captain Drew was always a loyal son of Hallowell, and the 
Kennebec was the one river of the world to him. His letters 
abound in local allusions and interesting reminiscences that 
appeal to many readers. His life was marked by the wild 
longings and aspirations of the boy, and the well-earned success 
of a brave, persistent, and genuine lover of the sea. He spent 
the last two years of his life in the comforts of his own home in 



326 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

Farmingdale, where he died in 1891. The following brief 
tribute expresses the sentiment of many who knew and 
esteemed the Kennebecker: "Captain Drew was our friend. 
When we looked into his flashing eyes and frank, manly coun- 
tenance, and received his cordial hand-grasp, we could make no 
mistake in the man. His friendship was unfailing, his helpful- 
ness of the .sort that assisted without embarrassing, and his 
heart was as free from guile as that of a child. Verily, a manly 
man has gone from the loving embrace of home and friends to 
join the innumerable multitude." 

Among the most famous of the Hallowell ship-masters was 
Captain Llewellyn Cooper, who, at the time of his death, in 
1878, was the only American commander of the many Trans- 
Atlantic steamship lines running out of New York. Although 
only in his forty-eighth year, this experienced officer had voyaged 
to all parts of the world, and commanded all kinds of vessels, 
from the smallest sailing craft to the largest ocean steamship. 

In person, Captain Cooper was a noble specimen of the 
American seaman. He was six feet and two inches in height, 
broad shouldered, and splendidly proportioned, with a cordial, 
whole-souled manner, and a spirit of self-reliant courage rarely 
surpassed on shipboard. His calmness and daring in times of 
danger never failed to give courage and inspiration to the men 
under his command. 

Captain Cooper was born in Hallowell in 1830. At the 
age of twenty-one he sailed out of the port of New York, as 
master of one of the finest barks in the foreign trade. He made 
frequent voyages around the Cape of Good Hope, to Calcutta 
and Madras, and to the East Indies. He was also engaged 
in the China trade. For years he was captain of one of the 
finest packet ships between London and Calcutta; and after- 
wards commanded the steamship Pacific. In 1883, a new iron 
steamship, the State of Georgia of the State Line, was 
launched ; and Captain Cooper was appointed to command her. 
"His record has not been bettered by that of any steamship 
captain on the North Atlantic." ' 

» The New York Sun. November 30, 1878. 



We/ls 327 

Captain Llewellyn Cooper married Elizabeth Andrews, of 
Hallowell. He died in Scotland, and his funeral took place on 
board his own steamship which then lay at anchor on the Clyde. 
Three sons of Captain Llewellyn and Elizabeth Cooper, 
Llewellyn, James, and Thomas, now reside in Augusta, Maine. 

Another ship-master of reputation on both sides of the 
globe is Captain Charles Wells, who should here receive 
especial mention, not only because he represents the ideal type 
of the American ship-master, but because he is now the last of 
the race in Hallowell. Of all the brave old captains who, one 
after the other, left their ships to make their homes in some 
stately old-fashioned house in Hallowell, Captain Wells is now 
the only living representative. In his fine old mansion built 
nearly a hundred years ago, by Mr. Benjamin Wales, and sur- 
rounded by rare and curious treasures from all parts of the 
world, Captain Wells, with his long, honorable, and interesting 
experiences still fresh in his mind, is a most entertaining and 
delightful host. 

The Wells family is of Norman extraction, and its ancient 
representatives are believed to have come to England with 
William the Conqueror. The name was originally De Welles. 
The first representatives of the Wells family in this country 
came from Colchester, England, to Connecticut, in 1635. 
Captain Charles Wells is the son of Ensign and Louise Batten 
Wells. In his youth he went first to California, where he 
remained several years before he began to "follow the sea." 
He then made numerous voyages to the East Indies, and in a 
comparatively short time rose to the rank of captain. On 
February 8, i860, he married Amelie Bergmann, at Bermerhaven, 
Germany. Their children were Georgiana and Julia, both born 
in Burmah, and Louise, who was born in Hallowell and there 
married to Mr. Franklin Glazier Russell. 

Captain Wells resided several years in Glasgow, and 
while there was offered the command of the ship Shantung 
which was sent out under the British flag to the Russell Com- 
pany in China. On arriving in the Chinese waters this ship was 
placed under the American flag and Captain Wells remained in 
command of the vessel. This was the beginning of Captain 



328 Old Hallozvell on the Kennebec 

Wells' experience of thirty years as captain on the Chinese 
rivers. For ten years he was in command of one steamship on 
the Yangtse-Kiang. In China, Captain Wells attained a high 
reputation ; and frequently when the Chinese government pur- 
chased ships from the yards of Glasgow, Scotland, he was 
commissioned to bring them to China. On these occasions, 
Captain Wells also visited his family in Hallo well. In this 
manner he went round the world five times. After many years 
of perilous adventure and heroic experience on the waters of the 
Orient, Captain Wells is now enjoying a well-earned season of 
repose; while Ilallowell proudly claims him as the last and one 
of the greatest of her long line of famous sea-captains. 

Thus, for many years. Old Hallowell, although not a sea- 
coast town, v/as a regular port of entry for vessels engaged in the 
coasting trade and in voyages to foreign lands. The daily tides 
that washed its numerous old wharves brought the salty flavor 
of the sea. The aroma of tropical fruits and spices permeated 
its ancient warehouses; and mingled odors of tobacco, tar, and 
the ever-flowing *'West India Rum" followed in the wake of the 
jovial sailors who came ashore and spent their hard-earned 
silver with a lavish hand. The fleets of schooners, brigs, and 
other craft that came and went upon the bosom of the Kenne- 
bec were a familiar sight to the dwellers on the river-banks. 
But the time came, at last, when these white-winged argosies 
silently and one by one disappeared from the Kennebec. The 
arrival of the first steamboat, which was hailed with delight, put 
an end to the line of packets on the river, and entirely changed 
the methods of trade and travel. 

In the year 1838, the steamer _/<?//« W. Rickmofid owntd. 
principally by Rufus K. Page, and commanded by Captain 
Nathaniel Kimball, was placed upon the route between 
Hallowell and Boston. This was a fine steamer, "elegantly 
appointed and of great speed," and its arrival twice a week was 
attended with intense interest and general excitement. 

As the steamer could not be seen at a great distance from 
the Hallowell wharves, on account of the curve in the river, a 
signal station was arranged on Chelsea heights, commanding 
the view below Bowman's Point, and as soon as the steamer 



•^, 




The Coming of the Steam-Cars 329 

appeared in sight a ball was hoisted to announce its coming. 
Then a crowd of men and boys rushed to the wharf; travelers, 
men of business, teamsters, idlers, and loungers crowded and 
jostled one another in their eagerness to "see the boat come in;" 
and the great passenger-coaches rattled and clattered down 
through Water Street as soon as the signal ball appeared. 
Regular old-fashioned stage-coaches were those driven by 
"Dan" Hanscom and "Sam" Johnson who dashed like veritable 
Jehus to the wharves, while "Pinkham" of Augusta frantically 
endeavored to get there first with his galloping steeds. Popular 
boys were often permitted by these drivers to ride down to the 
wharf, but they were always obliged to walk back. 

In a short time, another steamer, the Huntress, was placed 
upon the route, and a sharp competition between the two lines 
ensued. Cornelius Vanderbilt also put a steamer, named for 
himself, upon the Kennebec. Along in the forties the John 
Marshall, owned by "the People's Line," a New York Com- 
pany, appeared upon this coveted route; and then a most 
astonishing contest followed. The price of tickets from Hal- 
lowell to Boston was at last reduced to ten cents, and at one 
time passengers were actually paid twenty-five cents to take a 
free passage to Boston. This competition ended when the old 
company purchased controlling shares in the People's line, and 
removed the John Marshal lirova the Kennebec. 

The advent of the steamboat was followed by that of the 
steam-cars in 1857. On December 15th of that year, the first 
train pushed through Hallowell in a blinding snow storm, 
amidst the wildest enthusiasm of the spectators. Twenty 
years before, it had been predicted by the Rev. John A. 
Vaughan in a lecture, that "a man would soon be able to see 
the State House of Massachusetts and that of Maine by the 
sunlight of the same day." This prediction was now verified. 
Still there were many men who believed that on account of the 
severity of the Maine winters, the cars would only run two 
hundred days in the year. The Honorable George Evans, 
however, who was afterwards president of the road, was of the 
opinion that the cars might run three hundred days in the 
year. One train a day was considered a great achievement, 



330 Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 

and the passengers from Hallowell were quite content with 
this great improvement in the facilities for travel. 

In connection with the first steamboat and the first steam- 
cars, mention should also be made of the first automobile in 
Hallowell. This famous horseless carriage was built, in 1858, 
by the McClench brothers of Hallowell, at the suggestion of 
Judge Rice and Dr. H. H. Hill of Augusta. A full descrip- 
tion of its mechanism still exists, and the proofs of its success 
are on record. Its trial trip was a memorable event in Hal- 
lowell and aroused great excitement. Mr. George B. McClench 
was the "chief engineer." The Judge "took the tiller" and "sat 
upright on the seat, his hands encased in black gloves, and 
with his tall hat and high stock, he made an imposing figure." 
The machine started in Joppa, moved up Water Street, and 
along the plains, at a good speed, and then returned with- 
out accident. This old-time automobile made numerous suc- 
cessful trips, but after its practical working had been demon- 
strated and the novelty of the affair was over, it was stored 
by the McClench brothers for a number of years, and 
afterwards taken to pieces. 

Half a century has passed away since the introduction of 
these new methods of travel. Marvel after marvel has fol- 
lowed in swift succession, but the people no longer manifest 
ingenuous surprise or unrestrained enthusiasm over whatever 
is new and wonderful. The great steamers arrive on the 
Kennebec, but no gilded balls from Chelsea heights announce 
their coming; the mighty express trains, in shine or storm, 
speed through our towns, but no one gazes after them in 
astonishment ; the countless automobiles flash upon our vision 
and vanish in the distance, and yet we make no sign. We live 
in a world of marvels, but have we not lost something of the 
wonder, the mystery, and the glory of things that intensified 
and united the life of the people in the olden days.? 



XXI 
THE PUBLIC INTERESTS OF HALLOWELL 

"Her record in all respects, as town or city, is free from blot or 
stain." 

—Dr. William B. Lapham. 

/'^^rj^UR story of Old Hallowell has thus far been con- 
1 I j| "^^^^^^ principally with the people of the town and 
yj ^ with its religious, educational, social, and commercial 
interests. In order to complete the tale, something 
should now be said of those public interests which represent 
the people not as individuals but as a community. 

The civic and political life of Hallowell would furnish 
subject matter for many pages of local history. Even 
in the earlier times, the people were keenly alive to public 
affairs; and one of the absorbing topics of interest was the 
separation of Maine from Massachusetts. As early as 1796, 
this subject was agitated in Hallowell, and the columns of the 
Tocsin show that the leading men of the day were even then 
awake to the necessity of an independent State organization. 
In 1820, when the time for the separation arrived, the people 
and the press of Hallowell took an influential part in the proceed- 
ings. The delegates from Hallowell to the convention for 
form.ing a constitution for the State of Maine were Samuel 
Moody, Benjamin Dearborn, and William N. Page. Jeremiah 
Perley prepared a valuable digest of the debates of this con- 
vention, and Ebenezer T. Warren was a member of the 
committee appointed to prepare a circular letter to be sent to 
certain prominent men asking their opinion on the question: 
"Shall Maine separate from Massachusetts?" 

In the old volume compiled by Jeremiah Perley, may be 
found a letter from Ex-president John Adams, expressing his 
opinion on this subject from which I give the following inter- 
esting extracts : 

"My judgment, poor as it is, and my inclinations, strong 



332 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

as they are, are all on the side of union. I can see no public 
benefit to arise, on the contrary much public evil, from that 
spirit of division, partition, and separation which so unhappily 
prevails among our worthy fellow-citizens. . . . But I can 
tell you how it will be when there arises in Maine a bold, 
daring, ardent genius, with talents capable of inspiring the 
people with his own enthusiasm and ambition. He will tear 
off Maine from Massachusetts and leave her in a state below 
mediocrity in the union. My advice therefore is to remain as 
you are as long as you can. Though I know that my advdce 
will have no weight with one party or another, yet I will 
present my compliments to the worthy committee who have 
signed the circular letter and advise them as they stand well to 
stand still." 

During the first quarter of the nineteenth century the 
national questions were also of absorbing interest to the think- 
ing men of Hallowell; and the old town with its two political 
parties, the Federals and the Democratic-Republicans, — each 
represented by an able newspaper, — was the scene of much 
lively discussion. The political campaign of 1840 was one of 
the most exciting ever known in Hallowell. This was the 
memorable "Hard Cider Campaign" of "Tippecanoe and Tyler 
too." 

The Whigs during this contest held their meetings in a 
log-cabin erected, for political purposes, on Second Street 
where the Universalist Church now stands. This club-room 
was furnished with rustic chairs and tables, and was decorated 
with old firearms, coonskins, and other suggestive ornaments. 
In one corner, a barrel of hard cider was always on tap; and a 
leather latchstring, two feet long, was always out in welcome to 
the supporters of Harrison. Stories of the original and 
forcible manner in which this campaign was conducted were 
long told in the political circles of the State. In the mean- 
time the town was rent with the antislavery agitation to 
which reference has already been made in this volume. The 
discussions and dissensions on the abolition of slavery were so 
keen that even the church organizations were threatened with 
disruption. It was at the height of this agitation that a young 



Local Organizations 



333 



minister who was temporarily occupying the Unitarian pulpit, 
gave great offence, by his vehement and tactless sermons, to 
some members of his congregation; and in the midst of 
one of his denunciatory discourses, a certain masterful and 
indignant sea-captain of the town angrily arose, opened the 
door of the pew that enclosed his family in aristocratic seclu- 
sion, and strode majestically out of the church, to the con- 
sternation of his children, and the amazement of the offending 
minister. It is evident that the sympathies of the congregation 
were this time with the intolerant Captain, for on the next 
Sabbath when the zealous divine came to preach again, he 
found the doors of the church forever closed against him. 

The many able men and talented orators in Hallowell gave 
a zest to all political discussions; and through all the changes 
of party organization, there were always powerful leaders and 
devoted followers. "How my Democratic ears used to tingle," 
wrote a certain old citizen, "when, as a boy, I heard John P. 
Dumont, a fiery whig, run the locofocos! How he used to 
punish Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren!" and this 
illustrates the spirit of the times. 

All this was changed in the fateful sixties when the men of 
Hallowell united in the Union cause and magnificently sup- 
ported the government through the most crucial period of our 
country's history. Hallowell's long roll of honor shows how 
many of her sons nobly gave not only their service but their 
lives to the cause of the Union. 

The local organizations of Hallowell were always a source 
of pride and interest to the people. One of the very oldest, as 
well as the most permanent of these organizations was the 
Kennebec Lodge of Free Masons founded in 1796. The 
first Worshipful Master of this Lodge was Judge Nathaniel 
Dummer. On June 27, 1796, the Festival of St. John the 
Evangelist was celebrated by this lodge, and one hundred years 
from that date, St. John's day was again commemorated by 
the same lodge in Hallowell. In its list of members in the year 
1820, we find the familiar names of Peleg Sprague, Gideon 
Farrell, Amos Nourse, Ebenezer White, Andrew Masters, John 
D. Lord, Calvin Spaulding, S. K. Gilman and Simon Johnson. 



334 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

The Kennebec Benevolent Union was a literary and social 
club to which many Hallowell men belonged. All events of 
national importance were celebrated by this brilliant associa- 
tion; formal banquets were held in Washington Hall; and 
eloquent and witty after-dinner speeches were made by 
Nathaniel Perley, Thomas Bond, John Dumont and other 
popular orators of the town. 

During the earlier years of the nineteenth century the 
military spirit was strong, and the leading men of the town were 
members of the two volunteer companies, the "Hallowell 
Artillery" and the "Light Infantry." The artillery company 
had a gun-house and parade-ground north of Lincoln Street, 
and stored their ammunition in the old brick powder house on 
the hill. The uniform of the members of this company was of 
dark blue cloth trimmed with red; their caps were of black 
leather having a tall black plume tipped with crimson. The 
Light Infantry was composed of the younger men of the place. 
Their uniform consisted of a blue coat, with white and silver 
trimmings, white trousers, and cap with a long white plume. 
They were famous for their elegant appearance, their immacu- 
late accoutrements, and their excellent discipline. These two 
companies were idolized by the townspeople; and even the 
"String-Beaners," the un-uniformed company that straggled 
along at the end of the line on muster-day, were not without 
their share of popular favor. The annual brigade-muster on 
Hinckley's plains, was a grand gala-time for Hallowell and the 
surrounding country ; but with the passing of the State militia, 
the glory of the Artillery and the Light Infantry departed, and 
only the titles of the officers remained as evidence of their 
former glory. 

The firemen's department was an organization which was 
also warmly supported by public sentiment. The "Lion" and 
the "Tiger" were familiar names in every household, and 
parades of the engine companies with their martial music were 
the pride and delight of the populace. The handsome youths 
in their gorgeous uniforms won many honors; but their laurels 
were at one time borne away by the young ladies of Hallowell, 
of whom this incident is related : 



The Firemen's Jubilee 335 

"About fifty years ago a Fourth of July excursion to 
Hunnewell's Point took from the town all of the firemen and 
indeed most of the male population. Late in the afternoon a 
fire was discovered in the Exchange Hotel, commonly called 
Winslow's Tavern on Water Street. It was a large wooden 
building, and unless the flames could be quickly extinguished it 
must go, and adjoining stores also, several of which had already 
taken fire. Tidings of the catastrophe came to the ears of the 
women, and a dozen or more of the younger ones, regardless of 
the silks and laces in which they were robed for some function, 
rushed to the engine house, found men enough to drag the 
'Tiger' to the wharf, and one band manned the brakes in a 
fashion worthy of long practice and masculine muscle, while 
another passed the buckets of water, and the town v/as saved." 
Six of these "firewomen" are now living, and three of them 
reside in Hallowell." 

One of the very last public celebrations of Hallowell, as a 
town, was organized by the fire department and carried out to a 
most brilliant success by the loyal support of the townspeople. 
This festival is still remembered with a thrill of enthusiasm by 
many, now living, who took a part in the splendid pageant of 
August 6, 185 1. 

This popular fete had been designed for a Fourth of July 
celebration, but on that inauspicious day it rained in torrents. 
It was therefore resolved to appoint another date for the 
"firemen's jubilee and grand floral procession." 

On August 6th, all the glowing anticipations of the towns- 
people and officers of the day were abundantly realized. The 
weather was perfect. Five hundred firemen from Lewis- 
ton, Bath, and the Kennebec towns appeared promptly upon 
the scene. Five thousand spectators filled the streets of the 
old town. The procession was headed by Chief Marshal A. 
Berry, with his assistants, T. M. Andrews, A. Lord, Henry 
Reed, A. Merrill, E. Rowell, of Hallowell. The place of honor 
in the line was accorded to the famous old engines, the "Lion" 
and the "Tiger," with their men. They were followed by 
eleven other companies, making a brilliant spectacle with their 
gorgeous costumes, their shining engines, and waving banners. 



336 Old Halloxvcll on tJie Kennebec 

At the moving of the procession, the bands played, the bells 
rang, and the "Thunder-Jug," Hallowell's famous old cannon 
taken from the Boxer, resounded from the wharf. The column 
passed through the length of Second, Middle, and Water Streets, 
and up Temple Street to the Old South Church. Here the 
children were seated in the galleries, and the large auditorium 
was filled with ladies and other guests of the day. After an over- 
ture by the band, and prayer by Rev. Mr. Cole, a poem, by 
William B. Glazier, Esq., was delivered in a most enjoyable and 
effective style. It is remembered as a graceful and brilliant 
production abounding in poetic fancies, patriotic sentiment, wit, 
satire, and many humorous local "hits." 

The parade of the ever popular and much admired firemen 
aroused great enthusiasm, but the floral procession appealed 
more closely to the hearts of many of the spectators, for this 
was the young people's pageant; and it was pronounced the 
very best exhibition of its kind that was ever seen on the 
Kennebec, or in the state. Among the most prominent and 
most admired features of this procession were: 

Flora's Car, containing the floral queen seated on the 

throne and surrounded by twelve maids of honor. 
Innocence, a little girl two years of age, on a moss-covered 

car borne by four boys. 
Morning, young lady dressed in white with crown on her 

head to signify the sparkles of the rising sun. 
Night, a young lady dressed in black, covered with silver 

stars. 
Hope, a little girl two and a half years old on a litter borne 

by four boys. 
The Four Seasons, four young ladies appropriately 

dressed to represent the four seasons. 
The Lily, a little child in a basket covered with moss and 

pond lilies. 
The May Pole, on car, surrounded by ten young girls. 
The May Queen, seated upon a throne, with attendants 

on either hand. 
Banner with streamers, held by two young girls, followed 
by a company of thirteen archers. 



Grand Floral Procession ^^7 

Boat, filled with forty-one children, and having in the 
prow four boys dressed in man-of-war costume. 

Pedestal, surmounted by the Silver Trumpet, the fire- 
man's prize, borne by four young ladies. 

Interspersed between all these gaily decorated cars were 
companies of boys and girls, the flower of the youth of 
Hallowell, bearing wreaths, garlands, flags, and banners. Every 
home in the town was represented ; the hearts of the people 
united with one accord in joyous enthusiasm; and the music of 
the brass band aroused a wildly patriotic fervor. The "Floral 
Queen," "Morning," "Night," and the "Four Seasons," were 
young ladies remarkable for their grace and beauty; and many 
tributes of loyal admiration are still paid, in memory, to the lovely 
"May Queen," Miss Addie Stearns, who, as it is pleasant to 
remember, was the daughter of Mrs. Louise Page Stearns and 
great-granddaughter of Sarah Kilton, the young heroine of 
Revolutionary fame. 

After the parade was over the "Floral Procession" marched 
to the grounds of Mr. John Gardiner where a picnic dinner was 
served to the proud and happy children. The firemen dined 
under a large pavilion on the spacious lawn of Colonel E. E. 
Rice, where six hundred people were seated at the table. The 
repast was preceded by remarks from R. G. Lincoln, Esq., 
President of the day, and followed by numerous witty and 
patriotic toasts. 

This festival of the people in its chaste simplicity and uni- 
versal enjoyment appeals strongly to our memories, and recalls 
the ancient fete-days of the Florentines, or the classic celebra- 
tions of the youths and maids of Athens. 

The history of old Hallowell as a town terminates in 
1852, for in this year the town became a city. Until this time, 
our fathers had governed themselves on the good old town- 
meeting plan, and had honorably conducted all municipal affairs. 
Prosperity had blessed their shores. They had also seen 
years of adversity and depression from causes not under 
the control of those in public trust. The name of Old Hal- 



338 Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 

lowell was held in honor, at home, and everywhere abroad. 
Her escutcheon was without a stain. But looking into the 
future, men of public spirit, those who were ambitious for the 
advancement of the business interests of the place, deemed a 
change in the form of the local government essential to suc- 
cess; and on February 17, 1852, the new charter was adopted 
and the town became a city. 

Our story of Old Hallowell, therefore, naturally comes to 
an end at this date. New Hallowell brought in new life, new 
people, new churches, new schools, and new business enter- 
prises. At the magical touch of labor and capital, the heart 
of our granite hills was opened, and the quarries gave up their 
precious store. The frozen bosom of the Kennebec yielded 
its crystal treasure. New industries were established on the 
Vaughan stream; and new manufactories sprang up within 
our borders. 

At this time also, a new volume was opened by the city 
fathers on the pages of which a new record was to be inscribed. 
But our story is a tale of the past. Some of its threads, it is 
true, stretch on into the warp and woof of the present time, but 
only so far as they pertain to the representatives of the old 
families or to the old institutions which are still preserved. 

And now, as we reverently and reluctantly turn the old 
town escutcheon to the wall, and come to the opening years of 
the twentieth century, we find, notwithstanding all the 
changes of the past, that Hallowell is still the same delightful, 
dear old town as long ago. The passing seasons have touched 
gently its ancient mansions, its majestic elms, and its familiar 
streets. The beauty of the river and the glory of the hills 
remain. They can never be marred by time. It is therefore 
not difficult to explain why the sons and daughters of Old Hal- 
lowell still love their native town. However far, or however 
long they may have wandered, they are still devotedly loyal to 
the place of their birth. That this is true is proved by the 
frequent visits of old residents, and by their generous gifts to 
Hallowell's public institutions. 

A notable expression of the loyal and abiding interest of 
the children of Hallowell in the "Mother-Town" was given on 



The Reunion 220 

July 12, 1899, when from north, south, east, and west, they re- 
turned for a day of reunion on the banks of the Kennebec. 
The occasion seemed, indeed, hke a great family gathering 
around the mother-hearth. It was a happy festival of the 
people, comparable, in spirit and observance, with those of the 
olden times. The day was made especially memorable by the 
dedication of the City Hall, presented to Hallowell by Mrs. 
Eliza Clark Lowell, a lineal descendant of Deacon Pease Clark, 
the first settler of the town. The exercises opened with music, 
and an invocation by the Rev. D. E. Miller. The keys of the 
new City Hall were presented to Mayor Safford by Mr. Ben 
Tenney, the chairman of the building committee. Mayor 
Safford, in his response, paid a most fitting tribute, in behalf 
of the citizens of Hallowell, to Mrs. Lowell, and to her family 
name which has been interwoven with the history of Hallowell 
since the first settlement of the town. An oration on "Civic 
Virtue," was delivered by Professor Charles F. Richardson, and 
a poem, inspired by the true spirit of welcome, was read by Mrs. 
Anna Sargent Hunt. Among the guests of honor upon the 
platform were Llewellyn Powers, Governor of Maine, and the 
venerable James W. Bradbury of Augusta. 

A brilliant reception was given in the evening to the hun- 
dreds of guests within the town ; and an address of welcome was 
made by the Honorable W. F. Marston. Other parts in the pro- 
gramme were: "Hallowell As It Is To-day," by Thomas Leigh, 
Esq.; "Hallowell And Its Possibilities," by W. W. Vaughan, 
Esq.; "Our School Days," by Professor Arthur M. Thomas; 
"Literary Hallowell," by Rev. Dr. Butler, President of Colby 
College; "Hallowell in the War," by General George H. Nye; 
"Reminiscences," by Major E. Rowell; "What Should Our 
Birthplace Mean to Us.?" by Rev. D. E. Miller. Letters 
were also read from Honorable Gorham D. Gilman, E. T. 
Getchell, Esq., General Thomas H. Hubbard, General O. O. 
Howard, and other old residents. 

The most delightful feature of this reunion, however, was 
the afternoon reception, at the Vaughan homestead, where the 
beautiful house and spacious grounds were thrown open with the 
most cordial hospitality, and where the guests, like happy 



340 Old Hallowell on the Kettnebec 

children, wandered under the oaks and pines, lingered on the 
rustic bridges that span the stream, or sat upon the broad 
veranda, while at their feet the beloved Kennebec, unchanged 
and unchangeable, rolled on to the sea. Here gray-haired men 
and women renewed their youth, and forgot time and distance, 
and all else, save the "Welcome home!" bestowed upon them 
by their hosts and hostesses at this oldest mansion of the 
Mother-Town. At their right hand were the terraced gardens 
where the ancient sun-dial has marked the passing hours for 
more than a hundred years; and at their left were the three tall 
larches planted by the daughters of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan, 
and still called, in their memory, the "Three Sisters." Before 
them, from the banks of the Bombahook stream, rose a tall, 
gigantic tree, the "Smoking Pine," with which, for generations, 
an Indian legend has been associated. Many, on that day, 
recalled the old tradition; and, lest we forget, the story is here 
enshrined. 

THE SMOKING PINE 

On Bombahook's high bank it stands, 

The ancient smoking pine; 
It lifts aloft its hoary hands 
Above the wooded pleasure lands, 

And makes its mystic sign. 

Its gray-green branches sway, — and then 

Their ghostly murmurs cease; 
A solemn silence fills the glen, 
While Assonimo smokes again 

The spectral pipe of peace. 

We watch the blue-tinged vaporous haze 

In curling mist arise; 
And lo! to greet our wondering gaze. 
The phantom camp-fires start and blaze 

Beneath the twilight skies. 

Across the wildly dashing stream 

That swirls and foams below, 
The fire-light throws its ruddy gleam, 
And dusky forms as in a dream, 

Flit softly to and fro. 



The Smoking Pine 

Hush! 'tis the Indian chieftain's hand 

That lights the calumet; 
He speaks: "In this our father's land, 
Too long we roam, an outcast band, 

On whom the curse is set ! 

"For us, the hopeless strife is o'er; 

No warrior waits our call; 
White brothers! bid us place once more 
Upon the Bombahook's fair shore, 

Our wigwams few and small ! 

" And while the torrent o'er the rocks, 

Flows downward to the tide, 
And with its thundering echo mocks 
The death-chant of the Wawenocs, 

In peace let us abide. 

"Our doom is sealed, our glory past. 

Our hearth-fires, faintly fanned, 
Die out; and, from the heavens o'ercast, 
The whirlwind and the tempest's blast 
Shall smite us from the land ! 

" But from the chieftain's heart a pine 

Blood-set shall rise and sway, 
Where Assonimo's ghostly line 
Shall smoke as a perpetual sign. 

The pipe of peace for aye ! " 

The tempest came ; the prophet chief, 

With all his people fell ; 
No death-dirge droned for their relief ; 
Only the pale-face gazed in grief 

Upon the wasted dell. 

The new moons o'er the forest-nave, 

Waxed full and slowly swung; 
But when the springtide kissed the wave, 
From out the Wawenoc's deep grave 
The mighty pine-tree sprung. 

To-day, above the waters swift, 

Its lofty branches flare ; 
And see, the smoke-wreaths curl and lift! 
From Assonimo's pine they drift, 

And vanish into air. 



341 



342 Old Hallow ell on the Kennebec 

Many of the guests at the Vaughan mansion, on the day of 
the reunion, gazed with appealing interest to the topmost 
branches of this ancient tree, but saw no sign. Nevertheless, 
it is solemnly asserted that, occasionally, and under certain 
atmospheric conditions, a thin blue vapor has been seen to rise 
from the top of the Smoking Pine. No true son or daughter of 
Old Hallowell doubts that this is the spectral haze from 
Assonimo's pipe of peace which shall continue to smoke so long 
as the Bombahook flows into the Kennebec. 

Notable among the many guests at the Vaughan mansion, 
on the day of this joyous reunion, was a group of gray-haired 
"Academy students," who sat around one of the revered and 
beloved "preceptors" of olden times, and talked of school days, 
in the year 1825. The "preceptor" was the honorable James W. 
Bradbury, then ninety-seven years of age. The "students" were 
Mrs. Nathaniel Davenport, Mr. George R. Smith, and Thomas 
B. Merrick, Esq., of Philadelphia. They were all octogenarians, 
but the glow of youth had not departed from their eyes, nor its 
fervor from their hearts. 

Distinguished, also, among the many guests was a bright- 
eyed, animated, youthful old lady, Miss Maria Clark, the lineal 
descendant of Deacon Pease Clark, the "Father of Old Hal- 
lowell." In her straight, old-fashioned gown, her little black 
shoulder cape, and her queer, indescribable bonnet, Miss Maria 
Clark was the center of reverent and loving attention. She 
now lies with her fathers, in the old Hallowell burying- 
ground, on the river shore ; but her memory will be perpetuated 
by the fine, commodious school-house which, during her life- 
time, she gave to the children of Hallowell, and which is a 
worthy monument to her honored name. 

Hallowell will ever be the richer for the memories of this 
last public festal day of the nineteenth century. The hundreds 
of men and women, who came from afar, carried away a renewed 
remembrance of the old-time beauty and the never-ceasing hos- 
pitality of Old Hallowell, They left behind them a surety of 
their loyal devotion to the place of their birth and the home of 
their forefathers. 

Happy also is Hallowell in the literary tributes that have 



The Hills of Hallowell 343 

been paid to her local attractions as well as to her historic 
and social charms. Most suggestive of the familiar and pic- 
turesque haunts of our youth was one of the reunion letters 
written by the Hon. Gorham D. Oilman. 

"May your celebration be as bright as the morning sun as 
it comes over the eastern hills of Chelsea; its course run as 
smoothly as our beloved Kennebec in the sunshine of summer- 
time ; its music, as sweet and melodious as the music of the 
'Cascade' in the old Vaughan brook used to be in boyhood's days; 
its program, as rich as the aromatic perfume of 'Merrick's Pines; ' 
its hospitality, as broad and generous as the Vaughan acres of 
the olden time; and its memories, as enduring as the 'Gardiner 
ledges out over the hills.' May the eloquence of its occasion 
awaken the Dumonts, the Spragues, the Otises, to listen to 
words that stir men's and women's hearts; and the closing hour 
of the day leave as resplendent associations as the glories of the 
setting sun over 'Powder House Hill;' and the same old stars 
set their night watch over the sleepers 'on the plains' and the 
happy hearts that have been made glad with the old folks, and 
the young folks, at home." 

Charming descriptions of local scenery may be found in 
Memory Street, in The End of the Beginning, and in the prose 
and poetry of many writers, but none that appeals more strongly 
to the hearts of the lovers of Hallowell than the lines by Mrs. 
Martha Baker Dunn, entitled 

THE HILLS OF HALLOWELL 

A quiet city, half asleep, 

Climbing the long slope of a hill. 
And seeming ward and watch to keep 

Above the river winding still, 
While all around in verdure swell 

The fair, green hills of Hallowell. 
O happy hills! O pastures green! 

What morning dreams your slopes have known ! 
What fairy visions I have seen 

When every hillside was a throne! 
Each path my childish feet knew well, 

O'er those green hills of Hallowell. 



344 (^^d Hallowell on the Kemiebec 

How light those springing footsteps trod! 

"What joy throbbed in that pulsing heart! 
The world was then new-born of God, 

And sin and sorrow had no part. 
What scenes, what hopes, your paths could tell, 

Ye dear, lost hills of Hallowell! 

My way-worn feet may climb one day, 
The self-same slopes they trod of yore, 

May linger on the rock-hewn way, 
Yet I shall find there nevermore 

Those thronging shapes that used to dwell 
On those fair hills of Hallowell. 

Oft when I read in Sacred Word, 
"Unto the hills I lift mine eyes," 

I see the well-known outlines blurred 
Once more against the evening skies; 

I hear the Sabbath music swell 
Across the hills of Hallowell. 

I hear the glad old hymns once more, 
Voices long silent join the lays ; 

They echo from the viewless shore — 
Ah me! Heaven needs no sweeter praise! 

Fond memory weaves a loving spell 
Round the dear hills of Hallowell. 

And now the changing, ceaseless days 
Rolling remorseless on, it seems 

Twine a new halo round those ways. 
More sacred than my morning dreams. 

For dear feet climb — I know it well — 
The sunset hills of Hallowell. 

O faltering feet that were so strong, 
I know what heights ye erst have trod, 

Those quiet streets for you have long 
Been pathways up the Hills of God! 

Steadfast in sun and shade as well, 
Ye climbed His hills of Hallowell! 

O blessed hills! your rugged ways 

Grow fair with Heaven's sunset lights, 

Ye throng with saints of other days 
Borne on to glory from your heights. 

While soft the twilight breezes swell 
O'er the dear hills of Hallowell. 



i 



IJ Envoi 345 

And thus, although Hallowcll has not become a great and 
grand metropoHs, as our forefathers vainly prophesied, she 
nevertheless sits enthroned upon her hillsides, rich in the 
honorable records of her past history, in the eminent and useful 
men and women whom she has sent into the world, in the names 
inscribed upon her literary annals; in her churches, her schools, 
her library, and her city buildings; in her noble and pubHc- 
spirited body-politic; in the loyalty and devotion of her children, 
wherever they may be; and in the boundless measure of 
affection that comes back to her after many days. This 
inheritance is a permanent possession. The time-spirit of Old 
Hallowell remains immutable; and whatever outward changes 
the coming years may bring, here, in our midst, 

"a voice shall be 



That speaks for immortality." 



INDEX 



Abbot, George, 126. 

Abbot, Mary Susan, 97. 

Abbot "Squire," 122; son of Jacob 
and Lydia; m. Betsey Abbot, 
123; children: Sallucia, Jacob, 
John Stevens Cabot, Gorham 
Dummer, Clara Ann, Charles 
Edward, Samuel Phillips, 123. 
Home life of, 123. 

Abbott, Austin, 162. 

Abbott, Edward, 123. 

Abbott, Jacob, 124-125, 127; m. 
Harriet Vaughan, 97, 124, 259 ; 
children: Benjamin Vaughan, 
Austin, Lyman, Edward, 125, 200. 

Abbott, John S. C. 123, 125, 197; 
reminiscences of his childhood, 
123; at Bowdoin on the fiftieth 
anniversary of his graduation, 
126. 

Abbott, Sallucia, 134, 135, 220. 

Abenaki Indians, i, 2, 6, 7; char- 
acter, customs, games, folk- 
loi-e, etc., 8-1 1 ; village, 7; 
women, 9. 

Abenaki Lullaby, 9. 

Abenaki Story-teller, i. 

Academy, Hallowell, incorpo- 
rated, 55; public exhibition in 
1796, 209; notable preceptors, 
209-217; notable pupils, 209- 
210. 

Academy, Vaughan Female, 222- 
224; founded by Rev. John 
Apthorp Vaughan, 222; assisted 
by Miss Mary Merrick, 222 ; list 
of pupils, 222-223 ; method of 
instruction, 223 ; reunion in 
1854, 224. 

Actors, Boston Company of Come- 
dians, 261. 

Adlam, Rev. S., 206. 



Agry Capt. George, m. Caroline 
Hodges, 133; children: Adelaide, 
(Mrs. A. B. Moulton), Caroline 
Amelia, (Mrs. Wiley S. Ed- 
mands), George, father of George 
Jr., and Warren, 134. 

Agry, Jack, 302-303. 

Agry, Capt. John, m. Elizabeth 
Reed, 132 ; 

Agry, Capt. Thomas, m. ist Sally 
Nye ; second Sally Hammet ; ist 
daughter, (Mrs. Judge Kings- 
bury), 2d. daughter, Martha, 
(Mrs. William O. Vaughan), 324. 

Aiken, Jesse, 138; m. Mary Fuller; 
children: Eliza J., Edward, 
Fuller, Augusta, (Mrs. William 
J. Kilburn), 177. 

Alcove, the, 221. 

Alden, John, at Koussinok, 4. 

Allen, Rev. Charles F., 263. 

Allen, Dr. Frederick, 184 ; Mrs. 
Charlotte Wales Allen, 184-185; 
parents of Miss Clara Allen. 

Allen, Rev. John, 49. 

Allen, Hon. William, 211, 265. 

American Advocate, 161, 254, 255; 
Editor Gilman's enterprise, 254. 

Andrews, Major Thomas H., 321- 
322; m. 1st, Martha Curtis, 185; 
2d, Louise Farrell, 185 ; chil- 
dren : William Henry, Elizabeth, 
Martha (Mrs. Frank E. Mulli- 
ken), Julia M., 185. 

Annals of Warren, Eaton's, 41. 

Antislavery Agitation, first society, 
officers, 164; Candidate for Presi- 
dency, 168. Votes for, 168. Anti- 
slavery sermon in the Unitarian 
Church, 333. 

Archbishop of the Philippines, 



348 



Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 



Ariadne, the, 70. 

Arnold, Benedict, at Fort Western, 
27 ; officers of his regiment, 27. 
Art Club, children's, 220-221. 
Artillery, Hallowell, the, 334. 
Asiminasqua, 7. 
Assumption, Chapel of, 10, 12. 
Atherton, Peter, 321. 
Atkins, James, 177. 
Augusta, 1797, 62. 
Automobile, Hallowell's first, 330. 
Ave et Vale, poem, 217-218. 

Bailey, Rev. Jacob, 21, 46. 

Baker, Henry Knox, son of Amos, 
157-159; Di- Sarah Lord, 158- 
159; children: Frances Weston, 
Ellen, Annie, Harriet, Sanford, 
Martha, 159. 

Ballard, Mrs. 43. 

Banks, Annie S., 182. 

Banks, Mrs. Martha Gordon, 27. 

Barnekoy, 200. 

Barrett, Joseph, 186 ; Mrs. Joseph ; 
Oliver and Elizabeth, 311. 

Beeman, John, Sr., 38, 184. 
John, Jr., 183, Edith, 

Katharine, Mrs. Sarah Carr, 183. 

Belcher, Mr., the "Handel of 
Maine," 209. 

Beldens, the, 303; Louisa, Jona- 
than, 303-304. 

Belle Savage, the, 70. 

Bentham, Jeremy, 80. 

Bequests to Library, 240-241. 

Berry A., 335. 

Berry, Mrs. Annie, 178. 

Berry, Cascolene Hortense, 178, 
Edward Williams, 178, Joseph, 
178. 

Black Book, hy Mrs. Anne Royall, 
284. 

Blish, Capt. James, 71. 

" Blue Stocking Club," poem, 
269-270. 



Bodwell, Henry, 315. 

Bodwell, Joseph and Mary How ; 

315 ; ancestry of, 315. 
Bodwell, Joseph R., 307, 316-318; 

President of Hallowell Granite 
Works, 316-317; Governor of 
Maine, 317-318; death of, 317; 
personal character, 318; burial 
services, 318. Eunice Fox, 316; 
Hannah C. Fox, 316 ; Joseph F., 

316 ; Persis Mary, 316. 
Boies Antipas, 12. 
Bombahook, i, 2. 

Bond, Rev. Elias, 166, 199. Thomas, 

Sr., 141; Thomas, Jr., 141-142; 

m. Lucretia Page : children of, 

141. 
Books, old, 242-248. 
Bowling Alley on Leonard estate, 

179. 
Brackett, J. B., 226. 
Bradbury, James W., 209, 211, 

342. 
Bradford, Gov., 2, 3, 4. 
Bradford, Rev. M., 208. 
Bradstreet, Gov. Simon. Anne 

Dudley, 160. 
Brattle, Thomas, 12. 
Brewster, Elder William, 167. 
Bridge, Horatio, 287. Hon. James, 

35-36. 
Bridge, Kennebec, charter for, 57. 
Brooks, Rev. Phillips, 287. 
Brooks, T. B., 236, 287. 
Brooks, William, 36. 
Brown, Nathaniel, 179, Mary 

(Parsons) 179. Lucia, 221. 
Bryant, William Cullen, 258. 
Burr, Aaron, 27. 
Buck, Alfred E., 226, 227-228. 
Buckminster, Rev. J. S., 282. 
Bulfinch, Charles, architect, 193, 

287. Ellen Susan, author of 

Life and Letters of Charles 

Bulfinch, 96 ; Thomas, author of 



hide. 



349 



the Age of Fable, 96 ; letter 
from Madam Bulfinch, 272. 

Buonaparte's Address to his sol- 
diers, 251. Fall of, 256. 

Burne-Jones, 275. 

Burnham, Jonas, 203, 226. 

Butler, Ellen Hamlin, author of 
the poems Hallowcll and The 
Creating of the Book, 239- 
240. 



Calvert, Richard, 179. 

Candidates for the Hallowell Pul- 
pit, 45- 

Carr, Capt. George, 320. 

Cathedral at Manilla, 201. 

Chace, Charles B., preceptor of 
Hallowell Academy, 216. 

Chadwick, Cordelia, 313-314, Sam- 
uel, 313. 

Characters, romantic, quaint, and 
interesting, 290-306. 

Charter, City the, adopted, 338. 

Cheever, Elizabeth, 134; Rev. 
George, 1 19-12 1 ; Rev. Henry 
T., 121-122; Nathaniel 38,118- 
121, 254. 

Chessman, Rev. D., 206, 286. 

Chester Plantation, 194; Congre- 
gational church of. 

"Chief Citizens," Hallowell's, 307- 

Child, Jonas, 36, 182. 

Churches of Hallowell, Baptist, 
206 ; Methodist, 206; Old South, 
194-206; Unitarian, 207; Uni- 
versalist, 206. 

Church of the Mediator, Phila- 
delphia, 97. 

Church, Samuel, 36. 

City Hall, dedication of, 339. 

Civic Virtue, oration by Prof. 
Charles F. Richardson, 339. 

Clark, Elizabeth, 222. 



Clark, Isaac and .Mice, 154. 
Clark, Maria, 342. 
Clark, Pease, Deacou, 16-18, 21, 24; 
Father of Hallowell, 342; Pctcr' 

Clark, Hon. William, 154; m. 
Elizabeth Morse, 154; children, 
William Henry, Charlotte, (Mrs. 
George S. Peters), Elizabeth, 
Mary, 154. 

Cogswell, Nathaniel, 64, 65. 

Colcord, Mrs. Carrie Titcomb, 324 ; 
Nathaniel 39. 

Cole, Rev. J., 173.207,336. 

Collins, Delia E., 171. 

Cony, Daniel, Judge, 29, 30, 31, 61, 
279. 

Cony, Mrs. Susanna, 276 

Cony, Dea, Samuel, 29, 33; Lieut. 
Samuel, 29. 

Cooper, Henry, 324; James, 324; 
Llewellyn, m. Elizabeth An- 
drews, 326; children: Llewellyn, 
James, Thomas, 327. 

Cooper, James Fenimore, 258, 

Cope, John Edmund, 105. 

Costumes of the period, 41-42. 

Court-house, erected, 55. 

Court, Supreme Judicial ; sessions 
of, 55-56. 

Cowan, Ephraim, 18. 

Cox (or Cocks) James, son of Capt. 
James, 19, 22, 23. Gershom, m. 
Sarah Hussey ; sons : Comfort 
Smith, Arthur, William Henry, 
James V., G. Leander, 323. Com- 
fort Smith, m. Abigail Smiley ; 
children : Sarah H., Mary Cora, 
Barrett, and Elizabeth A., 323. 

Craig, Elias, 36. 

Cripps, Lize, 305-306. 

Crosby, George, 36. 

Curtis, Rev. Jonathan, 312. 

Curtis, Thomas W. T., 312, Mrs. 
Virginia Hubbard, 312,313,314; 



350 



Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 



children: John Hubbard, 312, 
Thomas Hamlin, 312, Clarine 
Wells, (Mrs. Thomas Hamlin 
Curtis) 312. 

Currier, A. C, 237; Alger V., 186. 

Cutler, John L., 279. 

Davenport, Abram, 194 ; Benjamin, 

182; Jonathan, 19, 21, 22, 23; 

Thomas, 323; Nathaniel, S. 

Franklin, Ralph, 324. 
Davenport, Mrs. Nathaniel, 342. 
Davis, Benjamin, Nathan, Daniel, 

176. 
Day, Franklin A., 259, m. Hannah 

Squire, 175. Jerome, 182. P'rank, 

Joe, Preston, Lizzie, 175. 
Deacon Giles Distillery, by Rev. 

George Cheever, 120-121. 
Dearborn, Capt. Benjamin, 168. 
Dearborn, Capt. George, 322 ; 

Capt. Henry, 322. 
Dearborn, Henry, 27. 
Decker, Mrs. Elizabeth, 260 ; 

daughters, 260. 
De Grand, Plutarch Bonaparte, 305. 
De L,a Croix, Madame, 165, 223. 
Derby, Mrs. Richard, 282. 
Division of the town, 55, 57, 58, 61. 
Dole, Mrs. Caroline Fletcher, 223, 

224. 
Dole, Dea. Fbenezer, m. Hannah 
Balch; children, 164. Daniel 
N., 165; Eben G., 166; fam- 
ily, 166; Henry D., 166. 
Drew, William, 39; Allen, 260; 

Capt. John F., 325. 
Druillettes, 4, 10, 11. 
Dudley, Gov. Thomas, 115. 
Dumaresq, James, 279-280 ; The 

" Beauty of the Kennebec," 279. 
Dummer, Almira, 186 ; Charles, 

186, Nathaniel, 38, 107-109, 162 ; 

Mary Kilton Dummer, 107-109 ; 

children, 108. 



Dumont, John P., 139, 333. 
Dunn, Mrs. Martha Baker, 

239, 343- 
Dutton, Samuel, 38. 



I59> 



Eastern Star, the, 56, 249. 
Eastman, Mrs. Charlotte Sewall, 

135- 
Echlin, Lord, 295-296. 
Eliot, George, 135. 
Elliott, C. L., Portrait painter, 105. 
Emerson, Ezekiel, 53. 
Emmons, Rev. Nathaniel, 151. 

Judge Williams, 151-153; 

family, 151-153- 
Rev. Henry Vaughan, 

153; family, 153. 
Lucy Vaughan, 153. 
End of the Beginning, novel by 
Prof. Charles F. Richardson, 

293, 343- 
Enterpr'ise, the, 70. 
Evans, Daniel, 39. 
Evans, Hon. George, 287-288, 329. 
Everett, Rev. C. C, 206-207. 
Every-day Life of the Period, 40-44. 



Figures of the Past, extract, from 

186. 
Firemen's department; The "Lion" 

and the " Tiger," 334. 
Flagg, John P., 186; Mrs. Mary 

Flagg, 105. 
Floral Procession, 336-337. 
Forster, Rev. Isaac, 52. 
Fort and Hook, Men of, 25-39. 
Fort Western, 3, 16, 18, 29. 
Franklin, Benjamin, 79, Memoir of, 

86. 
Freeman, John, Edward, Samuel, 

Ebenezer, 176 ; Mrs. Caroline 

Page Freeman, 176, 226. Carrie 

E., 247. 
Free Masons, Kennebec Lodge, 333. 



Index 



351 



French, Josiah, 18; John L., 176; 
family, 176. 

Fugitive Slaves, 167, 168. 

Fuller, Rev. Caleb, 206 ; Eben, 32 ; 
Eliza Williams, 32, 276 ; Fred- 
erick A., 32; George, 182; 
Chief Justice Melville W., 33; 
Hon. J. Warren, 197. 

Fuller, Hiram, 179; family, 179. 

Gardiner, D. Iv.; sons, 182. 

Gardiner, Frederick, 93; John, 
337 ; Rev. John Silvester 
John, 282; Robert Hallowell, 
93, 281, 288; Sylvester (or 
Silvester) Gardiner, 18, 36, 281. 

Garnet, Rev. H. H., 167. 

Getchell, Everett T., 240. 

Gillet, Rev. Eliphalet, installed 
1796, 57, 196-198. Called the 
" Addison of Maine," 197. 

Gilley, John, 19; Gilley's point, 
19. 

Gilman, Eliphalet, 38, Gideon, 198. 

Gilman, Hon. Gorham. Letter 
from, 343. 

John, 163. 
Samuel K., 163. 

Gilman, Judge Samuel K., 160- 
163; ancestry of, 160; family: 
160-163. 

Gilman, Sophia B., 163,238,110, 
236, 238. 

Girls' Industrial School, 186. 

Glazier, Franklin, 247 ; family: 247. 

Glazier, William Belcher, 156,247, 
263, 336 ; Franklin, 247. 

Goodale, Ezekiel, 246, 255. 

Goodwin, Daniel Raynes, D. D. 
94, 212-214; preceptor of Hal- 
lowell Academy, 212; Memoir 
of, 213-214 ; Mrs. Mary Merrick 
Goodwin, 213; children: Anna 
H., Mary, Harold, 213 ; family 
life, 213. 



Gow, Dea. James, 199. 
Greeley, Moses, 19; Seth, 19. 
Gurley, Mary, 197. 

Hains, John, 38. 

Haines, Major William, 183. 

Hallowell, ancient records, 13 ; in- 
corporation of, 21 ; division of, 
57, 61; name of, 21; first town 
meeting, 22; list of officers, 22; 
early settlers, 18, 19; sources of 
prosperity, 67. 

Hallowell Artillery, 334; Light 
Infantry, 168, 334; Independent 
Lancers, 172. 

Hallowell, Benjamin, 18, 36, 281 ; 
Briggs, 38; Robert, 281; 
Sarah, 75; William, 281. 

Halloivell Gazette, 172, 255-257. 

Hallowell House, 172, 173. 

Hamlin, Theophilus, sons of, 36. 

Hancock, Governor, 208. 

Hard Cider Campaign, 332. 

Harrington, 61. 

Harris, Deacon Obadiah, 194. 

Harvard College, entrance require- 
ments, 45. 

Haskell, Master, 225, 

Hathaway, 177. 

Hawthorne, 287. 

Hazlitt, Rev. William, 50-52, 225. 

Henry Reed, the, 321-322. 

Hill, Dr. H. H., 330. 

Hills of Hallowell, poem by Martha 
Baker Dunn, 343.344- 

Hinckley, Shubael, Thomas, 38. 

Histoire des Abenakis, 4. 

Hospitalities, interchange of, on 
the Kennebec, 268-281. 

Howard, Rev. H. R., 247; 

Captain James, 16, 18, 23, 
26, 28. 

Howard, John, 20, 28; 

Col. Samuel, 20, 28; chil- 
dren of, 28. 
William, 20, 28; 



352 



Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 



Rowland, John, agent of Kennebec 

trading-post, 4. 
Hubbard, William, 307. 

Dr. John, Sr., 307. 
Dr. John, Jr., 307-3". 
312; professional life, 
308, 309; Governor of 
Maine, 309, 310; Recep- 
tion at the Hallowell 
House, 310; Mrs. Sarah 
Barrett Hubbard, 311; 
family life, 312; Mrs. 
Virginia Hubbard Cur- 
tis, 312; Miss Emma 
Hubbard, 312. 
Hubbard, Capt. John, 313; his 

death at Port Hudson, 313. 
Hubbard, General Thomas II., 
314; benefactor of Bowdoin Col- 
lege and the Hubbard Free Lib- 
rary, 3T4; family of, 314. Hub- 
bard homestead in Hallowell, 

314. 315- 
Hunt, Mrs. Anna Sargent, author 

of Rcunio7i Poem, 339. 
Huntington, Samuel W., family of, 
168, 169. 

Simon and Margaret 
Baret, 169. 



Indian Queen, schooner, 70. 

Industry, sloop, 40. 

Ingraham, Sir Arthur, 127. 

Beriah, 36; James M., 
127; Jeremiah, 36; 
Rev. Joseph Holt, 127- 
129, 293; author of The 
Prince of the House of 
David, etc. 

Intelligencer, the, extract from, 60. 

Jay, John, 79, 80. 

Jersey, the; British prison-ship, 168. 

Jewett, Thomas G., 28. 

Jewett, Rev. Caleb, 49. 



Jimmy the Bugler, 296-298. 
Johnson, Mark, family of, 182. 
Joy, Hiram ; daughter Caroline, 

179, 180. 
Judd, Rev. Sylvester, 279. 
Judson, Rev. Adoniram, 53. 

Kaler, the Wizard, 290, 291. 

Kempton, ship-builder, 321. 

Kendall, William, 303. 

Kennebec Benevolent Union, 334. 

Kennebec bridge ; Company incor- 
porated, 61. 

Kennebec or Plymouth Company, 12. 

Kennebec Patent, 12. 

Kennebec Railroad, 161. 

" Kennebecker," no}n de plume oi 
Captain John F. Drew, 325. 

Kennebecker, the, edited by Henry 
K. Baker, 257, 258. 

Kent, Nathaniel, 65. 

Kilburn, William J., 177. 

Kilton, Mary, 109; Kilton, vSarah, 
109, no. 

Kimball, Mrs. Elizabeth Dole, 259. 

Kimball, Captain Nathaniel, 328. 

King Philip's War, 12. 

Kingsbury, Captain S. A., 172. 

Kingsbury, Judge, 324. 

Kinne, William, 211. 

Lakeman, Thomas, descendants of, 

180. 
Lamb, Charles, 305. 
Lambard, Allen, Barnabas, Thomas, 

36. 
Laughton, Thomas and Molly; 

Sally, 168. 
Laurens, Henry, John, 79. 
Lawyers of Hallowell, 136-159. 
Lebell, Monsieur, 89. 
Lee, Jesse, 206. 

Lewes, Mrs. (George Eliot), 135. 
Libraries of Hallowell, 229-241. 

The Vaughan Library, 229-230; 

Vaughan library for children, 

230; the Otis library, collection 



Index 



353 



of rare old books, 231-234; library 
of the Franklin Debating Soci- 
ety- 235 ; of the Kennebec Lib- 
rary Society ; of the Young 
Men's Society, 235 ; Goodale's 
Circulating Library, 235 ; Hal- 
lowell Social Library, 236-238 ; 
Hubbard Free Library, 238-241. 

Light Infantry, Hallowell, the, 
172, 334- 

Lights and Shadoius of the Past, by 
Rev. J. H. lugraham, 198. 

Lincoln, Laban, 175; RodneyG., 
167, 337 ; children of, 175. 

Lithgow, General William, Jr., 34 ; 
Captain William, 34; Robert, 34; 
Colonel Arthur, 35 ; James Noble , 
35; Llewellyn W., 35. 

Littlefield, Seth, 176; descendants 
of, 176. 

Livermore, Jason 38, 194 ; Colonel 
Danforth P., publisher and teleg- 
rapher, 173, 246, 248 ; Miss 
Emma Livermore, expert teleg- 
rapher and accomplished musi- 
cian, 248, 249. 

Locke, Master Samuel, 225, 259. 

Log-Cabin, Whig club-house in 
1840, 332. 

Longfellow, with his classmates at 
Bowdoin, in 1875, 126. 

Lord, Augustine, 335; Philip, 39. 

Louisiana, Sketches of, by Amos 
Stoddard, 137. 

Louis Philippe in Hallowell, 
story of, 96, 283-284. 

Lovejoy, Rev. Joseph C, 166, 168, 
171,173, 174, Preceptor of Hal- 
lowell Academy, 212 ; leader in 
temperance and antislavery 
movements, 171-174. Hisdescen- 
dants, 174. 

Lowell, Eliza Clark, 24, 239, 339- 

Lyceum, the Hallowell, 262-264; 
eminent lecturers, 263. 



Mail route from Hallowell to Port- 
land in 1774, 56. 

Maine Missionary Society organ- 
ized, 1807, 197. 

Man of Ice, the, 293-295. 

Mann, Dr. Ariel, 188. 

Manning, Corporal, 299, 300. 

Manning, William, father of Mrs. 
Sarah Manning Vaughan; Wil- 
liam, Jr., Governor of the Bank 
of England; Cardinal Manning, 
78. 

Martin, Alfred and Lydia, Julia 
Cascolene, 177. 

Martin, Mrs. Persis Bodwell, 316. 

Massena, General, at Milan, 251. 

Masters, Colonel Andrew, 247-248. 

Mather, Rev. Cotton, 193. 

Matthews, William, 38. 

Maurault, 4. 

Mayo, Ebenezer, shipbuilder, 38, 
70; Captain Ephriam, 168; Rev. 
John, Puritan divine, 167. 

McClench, George B., 330. 

McMaster, William, 194. 

Means, Mark, 182. 

Meeting-house Beggar, the, by Rev. 
J. H. Ingraham, 292, 293. 

Meeting-house built at the " Fort," 
49. 

Meeting-house, Old South, 193-207. 

Mellen, Chief Justice, 104, 113. 

Melvin, Alonzo, 248, 

Memory Street, by Mrs. Martha 
Baker Dunn, 343. 

" Men of the Dawn," 2, 11. 

Men of the Fort and Hook, 25-39. 

Merchants in 1796, 64, 65. 

Merrick, John, Esq., 38, 99-106, 200 ; 
character, 99, 103 ; memoir of, 99 ; 
ancestry, 100; education, 100; 
expedition to Quebec, 101-103; 
tribute to, 104-105 ; family, 105 ; 
residence of , 106 ; octagon parlor, 
124. 



354 



Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 



Merrick, William H., 105, 148 
Samuel, of London, 100; Samuel 
Vaughan, 105, 209 ; children of 
105 ; Thomas Belsham Merrick 
105, 209, 340 ; children of, 105. 

Merrill, Ambrose, 177, 321, 335 
Ellen, 177. 

Miles, Rev. Mr., 207. 

Militia, Colonel Vaughan's Reg- 
iment, 92. 

Miller, Rev. D. E., 339. 

Montczuina, the, 60. 

Moody, Nathan, 130; Miss Mary, 
I30> 135) 204; Paul and Mary of 
Byfield, 129; Preceptor Samuel, 
129; anecdote of, 210-21 1 ; his 
family and descendants, 129-130. 

Morgan, Charles E., 105. 

Morgan, Old Squire, 298, 299. 

Morse, Rev. Charles, 206. 

Morse, William, Jr., 38. 

Morton, A. B., Philander, Frank- 
lin J., Priscilla B., 183. 

Morton, Mrs. Caroline Joy ; J. 
Stirling, Charles, Joy, Paul, 
Mark, 180. 

Mulliken, Frank E., 185. 

Murray, Rev. John, 47. 

Museum, Lowell, dedication of, 

239- 
Music in Hallowell, 259-261 ; Har- 
monic Society, 260; oratorios, 
261 ; Old South choir, 200-202, 
260; Universalist choir, 260. 

Nash, Captain Charles E., 249. 

Nason, Arthur Huntington, 170; 
Bartholemew, 171; Charles H., 
170; Edward, 171; Edwin F., 
170; Emma Huntington, 170, 238; 
Frederick B., 170 ; Joseph Frost, 
170; Margaret, 171 ; Mary Welch, 
170; Richard of England, 
170; Richard of Kittery, 170. 

Natahanada, 5, 6. 



Newspapers, Eastern Star, 249 ; 
Tocsin, 250-257 ; American Advo- 
cate, 254-255 ; Halloiucll Gazette, 
255-257 ; Intelligencer, 59 ; Keti- 
nebecker, 257, 258 ; Maine Culti- 
vator and Weekly Gazette, 258 ; 
Liberty Standard, 175. 

Ney, nephew of Marshal Ney, 284. 

Nidoba, Indian custom, 7. 

Noble, Rev. Seth, 50. 

Norris, James, 38. 

North, Hon. James W., 32 ; Captain 
John ; Joseph, 32 ; Madame 
North, 276, 283. 

North Eastern Boundary, 148. 

Nourse, Dr. Amos, 171, 188. 

Nye, Ansel, Elisha, 38; Stephen, 
William, 177. 

Nye, J. Edwin, 177. 

Nye, General George, 177. 

Obseivations on the Conduct of 
Different Governments, 253. 

Odlin, Deacon John, John, 114. 

Old Books and Newspapers, 242-258. 

" Old Grimes is dead," 255. 

Old South Church, 193-207; His- 
torical Sketch of, 202 ; Meeting- 
house erected, 1796, 57 ; members 
of, 198, 199 ; bell-tower, 195, 203 ; 
choir, 199-202 ; tribute to, by 
John Drew ; bell made by Paul 
Revere and Son, Old South 
Clock, 202. 

Old South Church, poem, b}' 
Mary E. Moody, 204-205. 

Old South, organized 1790, 193; 
Sunday School, 191; church des- 
troyed by fire, 203, 204. 

Ordinations of the period, 53. 

Otis, Hon. John, 93, 277 ; his family, 
148 ; member of the United States 
Boundary Commission, 148 ; Uni- 
ted States Senator, 149; personal 
character and family life ; letter 



Index 



355 



from General O. O. Howard, 149, 
150; Otis Ivibrarj^, 231-234. 
Otis, Oliver and Betsey, 147. 

Paddy, William, 6. 

Page, Aaron, 38. 

Page, Annie F., author of His- 
torical Sketch of Old vSouth 
Church, 49, 191, 192. 

Page, Dr. Benjamin, Sr., 114; 
ancestry, 115; children of, 115. 

Page, Dr. Benjamin, Jr., 38, 64, 
1 15-117. 191. 284 ; character and 
professional life, 115-116; Abi- 
gail Cutler, 116; children, 117. 

Page, Mrs. Caroline Freeman, 226, 

247- 
Page, David, 175 ; children of, 176. 

Page, Ezekiel, 19; Ezekiel, Jr., 19. 

Page, John Odlin, 64, no, 117, 
201, 259; Sarah Kilton, 117; 
children, 117. 

Page, Rufus K., first mayor of Hal- 
lowell, 321; ship-builder and 
steamboat owner, 117, 118, 320, 
321, 328; Caroline Hull, 118; 
Martha Howard, 118; children, 
118. 

Page, Simon, 190-192; Mayor of 
Hallowell, 190; character and life- 
work, 190-191 ; Mrs. Fraziette 
Page, tribute to, 191-192; child- 
ren: Julia, (Mrs. Henry Samp- 
son), Annie F., Benjamin, 191; 
glimpse of the Page home, 192. 

Paine, Henry W., 155-156; Jennie 
Warren, 156, 215; I^ucy Coffin, 
155- 

Paine, Rev. Jotham, 316; Persis 
Bodwell, 316 ; Charles Bodwell, 
316. 

Parker, the Ciceronian, 282. 

Parkman, Dr. Samuel, 94. 

Parsons, the junk-dealer, 305. 

Parsons, Theophilus, 138, 282. 



Patent, granted to Plymouth Col- 
ony, It, 12. 

Patterson, Captain James, 29. 

Peabody, Elizabeth, 269; author of 
the Blue Stocking Club, 269, 270, 
271. 

Perley, Caroline A., 226. 

Perley, Hon. Nathaniel, 39, 136, 
137. 138, 198, 334; tribute to, 138. 
MaryDummer, 139; Louisa, (Mrs. 
John P. Dumont), 139. 

Perley, Jeremiah, 331. 

Pettengill, Deacon Benjamin. 194; 
Daniel, 52. 

Political Crisis, The, by Amos 
Stoddard, 137. 

Pollard, Amos, 36; Pollard's tav- 
ern, 43. 

Powder House Hill, 15. 

Phebe, the, 59. 

Phenix, the, 59. 

Philbrook, Job, 18; Jonathan, 18. 

Pierce, E. G., ship-builder, 320, 321. 

Pilgrim Fathers, 2 ; on the Kenne- 
bec, 5, 13. 

Pillar of Fire, 128. 

Pilsburj^, Isaac, 69. 

"Pisgah,"49. 

Pitt, 80. 

Plymouth merchants, 2, 3 ; trading- 
post on the Kennebec, 3, 4. 

Plymouth proprietors on the Ken- 
nebec, 12. 

Pratt, Miss Mary, 305. 

Prence, Governor Thomas, 5, 167. 

Prescott, Benjamin, 38. 

Prii>irose, the, 70. 

Prince, John, 49. 

Prince of the House of David, The, 
128. 

Public Interests, 33I--345- 

Publishing Business, 254-258. 

Putnam, the Inventor, 304. 

Queen of Sheba, 298. 
Quincy, Josiah, 186, 187. 



356 



Old Halloivell on the Kennebec 



Randall, D. B., 206. 

Randall, Robert, 65, 194, 

Rapid, the, 70. 

Raymond, William Henry, 174; 

Anna Louise Lovejoy, 174; chil- 
dren of, 174. 
Reception at Vaughan mansion, 

1899, 340. 342. 
Red Histories, 125. 
Reed, Henry, 321. 335. 
Reed, Mrs. Jean Murray, 47. 
Religious Services, 1771-1797, 44-54. 
Representative Families, 107-135, 

160-192. 
Revere, Paul, and vSon, letter 

from, 195. 
Rice, Colonel E. E., 337. 
Rice, Hon. Richard D., 164, 175, 

330. 
Rice, John, 198. 
Richardson, Professor Charles F,, 

189, 239-241, 293,339; his literary 

works, 189. 
Richardson, Dr. M. C, 188-189; 

family of, 189. 
Richmond, Xhcjohn W., 328. 
Robbins, Hon. Chandler, 38, 132, 

268, 283; son of, entertained in 

Paris by Talleyrand, 283. 
Roberson, Miss Margaret, mantua 

maker, 65. 
Rollins, Elbridge, 138, 182. 
Rollo Books, 125. 
Rowell, Major E., 173, 258,320; 

George S., 320. 
Royall, Mrs. Anne, 284-287. 

Author of the Black Book, 284. 
Ruby, the, 70. 
Rural Socrates, the, 86. 
Ruttkay, Louis, 171. 

Sailing Vessels, 321. 
Safford, Mayor George, 339. 
Salisbury, Miss Polly, 221. 
Sampson, George, 105. 
Sampson, Henry, 240. 



Savage, Daniel, 19, 20; Edward, 
19, 20, 50. 

Schools of Hallowell, 208-228. 
Hallowell Academy, 208-218; pri- 
vate schools, Madame Bills', 218; 
Mrs. Boardman's, 220; Mrs. 
Remington's, 219, 220; Miss Polly 
Salisbury's, 221, Public schools, 
224-228. Vaughan Female Acad- 
emy, 222-224. 

Schools, Public, first appropriation 
by the town, 1797; town school 
described by "Senex;" Master 
Haskell, 225; Master John Sewall, 
225; Master Samuel Locke, 225, 
226. Grammar School, 226; Mas- 
ters, D. H. Goodno, Albert 
Thomas, J. B. Brackett, 226. 
High School, 226-228; Masters, 
Jonas Burnham, 227; W. H. Sea- 
vey, 227; Alfred E. Buck, 227, 
228. New High School, 228. 
Classical School, 228. 

Seavey, W. H., 226. 

Separation of Maine from Massa- 
chusetts, 331. Part taken by men 
of Hallowell, 331; Digest of the 
Debates of the Convention for 
forming a Constitution for the 
vState of Maine, by Jeremiah Per- 
1^7' 331; committee to prepare 
circular letter, 331 ; opinion of 
Ex-President Adams on the 
subject, 332. 

Settlers, the first, 15-24. 

Sewall, David, 38; General Henry, 
33, 44, 52, 194; Jonathan, 194; 
John, 38, 199, 225; Moses, 194; 
Dr. Stephen B., 113; Thomas, 33. 

Sheba, Queen of, 298. 

Sheppard, Captain John, 110-112; 
Sarah Collier, no; children, in ; 
old red house, in; social life, 
III, 112; literary culture, in; 
death at Point Petre, 112. 



Index 



357 



Sheppard, Hon. John H., 89, iio- 
113; personal characteristics, 
and literary work, 113-114; 
children, 113; descendants, 114, 
Tribute to Dr. Benjamin 
Vaughan, 87-89. 

Sherburne, James, 182. 

Sheridan, 80. 

Shipping and Ship-masters, 319- 
331- 

Simmons, Captain Daniel, 182. 

Small, Master, ship-builder, 321. 

Smith, Amos, 247 ; Rev. Eliphalet, 
53; Frederick B., 247; Dr. De 
Wolfe, 185; George R., 342; 
Captain Isaac, 71; Justin E., 
247; Robert, 185; "Old Doctor," 
305; Captain Samuel, 319; 
Stevens, 174. 

Smoking Pine, The, poem, 340, 
341- 

Social Life, from 1771 to 1797, 43; 
later period, 265-289 ; tributes by 
William Allen, Esq., Hon. John 
H. Sheppard, and John Ward 
Dean, 265 ; social life described 
by Rev. John H. Ingraham, 
John H. Sheppard, John S. C. 
Abbott; life at "Sunset Farm," 
described by Madame Bulfinch, 
272-273; entertainment for chil- 
dren, 273 ; splendid ball given 
by Miss Anne Warren, 273, 274; 
dinner-party given by Hon. 
Reuel Williams, 278, 279; inter- 
change of hospitalities on the 
Kennebec, 275-281; famous 
guests, 281-289. 

South worth. Captain, agent at 
Kennebec trading-post, 5. 

Spaulding, Calvin, 177. 

Spotted Fever, 87, 116. 

Sprague, Judge Peleg, 142-145; 
United States senator, 144; 
Judge of District Court of the 



United States, 145; grand ovation 

at Hallowell, 144. 
Sprague, poet, 258; William, 247. 
Stage Journey from Boston to New 

York, 187. 
Stickney, Paul, 167, 201, 259. 
Stickney, William, 130, 167; family 

of, 167, 
Stinson, Mrs. Helen Page, 114; 

Clara, 114; David G., 114; Harry, 

114. 
Stoddard, Amos, first lawyer in 

Hallowell, 35, 38, 61, 136, 137. 
Stone, Rev. Mr., 54. 
Story, Judge, 186, 187. 
"String-Beaners," 334. 
Stringer, Johnny, 301, 302. 
Sullivan, Attorney General, 56. 
Sumner, Judge, 55, 
Supper Table, Miss Anne Warren's, 

274, 275. 
Supreme Judicial Court in Hal- 
lowell, 55. 
Sweat, Samuel, 194. 

Talleyrand in Hallowell, 96, 283. 

Tappan, Rev. Benjamin, 153. 

Telegraphy, 248. 

Temperance Movement, 171. 

Tenne}', Alonzo, 181; children, 181 ; 
Hon. Ben, 246, 339. 

Tenney, Samuel, 199, 181. 

Theatre in Hallowell, 261. 

Thomas, Daniel, 19; Edward A., 
178. Prof. Arthur M., 339. 

Thompson, George, English eman- 
cipationist, 164. 

Throne 0/ David, the, 128, 

Thunder-Jug, the, 336. 

Thurston, Rev. Eli, 196, 201, 202. 

"Tippecanoe and Tyler, too," 332. 

Titcomb, Captain, 324; children 
Walter, naval officer; Dr. Arthur; 
Carrie E.; 324- 

Titcomb, Samuel, 36. 



358 



Old Hallowell on the Kennebec 



Tocsin, the, 56, 59, 209, 250-254. 
Towa officers of 1798, 62,63. 
Trafton, Rev. Mark, 206, 
Travel, methods of, 44, 328-330. 
Two Brothers, sloop, 40. 
Tyng, Edward, 12. 

Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 287, 329. 

"Van Ho," 292. 

Vaughan Family, 73-98. 

Vaughan, Benjamin, 36; Memoir of, 
76; education, 77; early life and 
marriage to Miss Sarah Manning, 
78; political career, 79; member 
of Parliament, 80; removal to 
this country, 81; residence at 
Hallowell, 83-85; celebrated 
guests, 282-284 ; scholar, author, 
and physician, 86; personal char- 
acteristics, 87-89; death, 89; fam- 
ily, and descendants, 89-94. 

Vaughan, Benjamin, 97-98; chil- 
dren. Bertha Hallowell, 94; 
Henry Goodwin, 94, 106. 

Vaughan, Charles, Esq., 94-97; 
early settler, at Hallowell, pro- 
moter of commerce, agriculture, 
and the educational and religious 
interests of the town, 95; farm 
and gardens, 95; residence, 96; 
Mrs. PVances Apthorp Vaughan, 
96; children, 96, 97. 

Vaughan, Charles, Jr., 97; 236, 237. 

Vaughan, Rev. John Apthorp, 96, 
97, 105; founder and principal 
of Vaughan Female Academy, 
222-224; rector of Church of the 
Mediator, 224. 

Vaughan, William of Ivondon, 76, 
77 ; extract from memoir of, 76, 
77- 

Vaughan, William Oliver, 91, 92; 
William Manning, 93; William 
Warren, 97, 98; children of Wil- 
liam Warren: Mary Eliot and 
Samuel, 94. 



Vaughan, Samuel, 74; ancestry of, 
74; Mrs. Sarah Hallowell 
Vaughan, 75; children, 75. 

Vaughan Memorial Bridge, 98. 

Wales, Benjamin, 184, 327; family 
of, 184; Wales mansion, 184,327. 

Warner, B. F., 182. 

Warren, Hon. Ebenezer T., 93, 
145; Warren mansion, 146. 

Washington, chimney-piece pre- 
sented to, 75, 76; message of, 
252. 

Washingtonians, the young, 257. 

Waterhouse, Francis, 215, 216. 

Watts, Captain vSamuel, sons Sam- 
uel, Edward, Lawson, 324; 
Helen, (Mrs. Samuel Glazier), 
324- 

Webster, Daniel, at Hallowell, 288. 

Weld, Dr., 305 

Wells, Captain Charles, 327, 328; 
family, 327. 

Wells, Governor Samuel, 315; 
William, 89. 

West, Captain Shubael, 70, 324. 

Weston, Captain Nathan, 32; 
Judge Nathan, 32, 53. 

Wharves of Hallowell, 70, 71. 

White, Greenlief, 177, 178; Mrs. 
Julia Cascolene White, 177, 178; 
children, 178. 

Whiting, Rev. Thurston, 49. 

Wilberforce, 80. 

Wilde, Samuel Sumner, Judge of 
the Supreme Court, 1 39-141, 198. 
Tribute by Chief Justice Shaw, 
139; family life, 140; children, 
140; residence notable for its 
architectural beauty, 140. 

Willett, Captain Thomas, 5. 

Willey, Rev. Austin, 175. 

Williams, Judge Daniel, 31; fam- 
ily, 31 ; Eliza, 32, 276. 
Mrs. Daniel Williams, 277. 

Williams, Lord of Ribour, 31. 



Index 359 

Williams Hon. Reuel,3i; family, Winslow, Edward, founder of the 

31 ; Public service, 31 ; President Plymouth trading-post, 2, 4, 5. 

Polk and James Buchanan enter- Winslow, John, agent at the trading 

tamed at the Williams mansion, post, 5, 12. 

278; octagon room, 277; dinner- Withington, James, 214 215- Al- 

party described by Hon. Joseph freda B., M. D., 215; Augustus 

H. Williams, 278, 279. H., 215. 

Williams, Seth, 31 ; Zilpha Ingra- Wood, Betsey, poem, by "Pal- 
ham, 31; hospitality of, 276. «iyra," 253-254. 

Willis, Dr., 141; his tributes to Woodbridge, Rev. John, 1 15. 

Thomas Bond, 141 ; to Peleg Woodman, Preceptor, 2^. 

Sprague, 143, 144. Yeaton, Caroline, 226. 

Wingate, 130,131; Joshua. 130; Yeaton, John, 169; family, 181 • 

Joseph, 130; their descendants, Phineas, 176, 199 



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